ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Spatial Analysis of Plant Species Distribution
in Midfield Ponds in an Agriculturally
Intense Area
Renata Gamrat1, Małgorzata Gałczyńska2, Krzysztof Pacewicz3
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1Department of Protection and Environmental Management,
2Department of General and Ecological Chemistry,
3Department of Agronomy,
West Pomeranian University of Technology, Słowackiego 17, 71-434 Szczecin, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2012;21(4):871-877
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
In an agricultural landscape small midfield ponds fulfill biocenotic and physiocenotic functions.
A variety of species settle in areas of midfield ponds. The aim of our studies was to determine whether the
occurrence of aquatic and marsh species in the studied bodies of water is a random effect or a result of spatial
autocorrelation. On the basis of conclusions from ESDA, the hypothesis of spatial randomness can be rejected,
which opens the way for searching spatial regimes. The review analysis of the spatial data (ESDA) with
the use of join-count statistics showed that there is a positive spatial correlation for the midfield ponds in the
agricultural area of the Pyrzyce-Stargard Plain in the distribution of ten aquatic and rush species for a distance
of 1,250 m. The results of statistical analysis (ESDA) can constitute the basis for the choice and protection of
midfield ponds as stop islands fulfilling functions of “mini” ecological corridors in spreading plant species.