Habitats & Botany | Aquatic Plants
Aquatic Plants or aquatic macrophytes, are often used as indicators of water quality within both still water and riverine systems, as well as providing food and shelter for a range of aquatic faunal species. Peak Ecology are well equipped to survey for aquatic plants, our team of aquatic macrophyte surveyors, which includes Director Jonathan Brickland, has over 30 years of combined experience in this field, undertaking surveys across England and Wales.
Aquatic plants are known to respond to a large number of environmental factors including (but not limited to) the rate and variability of water flow, alkalinity, substrate, shading, and nutrient concentrations. The responsiveness of these plants to factors that are strongly influenced by anthropogenic activity can make them useful as indicators of water quality.
In slow-flowing riverine environments, certain aquatic plants (often invasive non-native species) can have detrimental effects upon water flows, leading to blockages and eventually flooding (Floating pennywort, Hydrocotyle ranunculoides), while others such as New Zealand pigmyweed (Crassula helmsii) can form monocultures that can carpet smaller waterbodies, therefore changing its ecology.
Many rare plants occur in established lakes and riverine habitats, as well as canals, reservoirs and ponds, and therefore are potentially at risk from land changes and development.
At Peak Ecology, our aquatic team have the skills and capability to undertake aquatic plant surveys, from both the shoreline and bankside habitats, as well as from boating craft.
We operate a small motor-powered inflatable boat, and also have several inflatable kayaks that can be used to enable us to complete aquatic surveys efficiently and safely on sheltered inland wetlands. All our powered boat operators are fully trained to Powerboat Certificate Level 2.
At Peak Ecology we can offer the following range of services, or create a bespoke survey for your needs:
- Standard Grapnel Surveys
- PSYM Plant Assessments (usually combined with aquatic macro-invertebrates)
- Invasive Species Surveys
- Invasive Species Monitoring and Risk Assessment
- River Habitat Surveys
- River Corridor Surveys
If you are interested in any of our services, don’t hesitate to contact us >>