Basic features of the micro-climate

Shallow waters

The production processes in all ecosystems are dependent on the physical properties of the environment. Radiation, temperature and water supply are among the basic factors influencing photosynthesis, respiration, growth and other physiological processes in auto trophic plants. Other ecosystem processes, such as the decomposition of dead organic matter, and the activity, food uptake, respiration and reproduction rate of animals, are also influenced by temperature, humidity and radiation.

The macro-climate of a given area is determined by its geographical position and large-scale air circulation. The plant cover, perhaps more than any other active surface, alters the climatic conditions in its surroundings. Studies on the micro-climate within the plant cover and an evaluation of the feedback effects of the plant biomass, both live and dead, on the micro-climate are indispensable for an understanding of ecosystem functioning. The immediate result of the mutual relationship between vegetation and micro-climate is the water economy of the vegetation. For general information on these subjects, the reader is referred to Geiger (1961); Monteith (1973, 1975–76), Slavík (1974) and Kreeb (1974).

Wetlands are more complicated than either purely aquatic or purely terrestrial ecosystems because three phases are present: air, water and soil. Moreover, the relative importance of these varies considerably in both space and time. Despite the frequent large-scale uniformity of wetland plant stands, they show a considerable diversity of micro-environments in space and time, caused in the first place by variations of water level, plant density and management.