Current World Environment

Introduction

Water defines or impacts most, if not all, of a field’s biogeochemistry, or the biological, chemical, and physical features of a particular location, particularly areas of our terrain known as wetlands ¹. Wetlands serve as the interface and ecotone habitat between the terrestrial ecosystem and the aquatic ecosystem. It indicates that wetlands are neither entirely aquatic nor terrestrial; depending on seasonal fluctuation, they may be both at a similar moment, which contains the water and aquatic life, two essential components of the ecosystem ². Wetlands are geologically young and ecologically delicate; they exist in all climates and vary sporadically with the passage of time and season. The Earth has 5.3 to 12.8 million km² of wetland area ³. Wetlands are natural water bodies, that support a huge number of floral and faunal diversity of the earth. Due to the diverse geographical location, dominant species, their genesis, water chemistry, and sediment or soil characteristics; wetlands express rich biodiversity ¹. Globally, wetlands are a highly adaptive, productive, and biologically rich ecosystem that provides many significant private and public services to society with both consumptive and non-consumptive benefits. India supports a broad range of wetland ecosystems, with its varied terrain and climate regimes. In addition, there are 555,557 wetlands (with inland wetlands accounting for 69%, coastal wetlands for 27%, and other wetlands (less than 2.25 ha) accounting for 4% of total wetlands ⁵.Wetland has currently covered 15.26 million hectares (mh), or 4.63 % land area of India. In terms of total wetland area covered by the state (in percentage), represent that Gujarat state ranks first with 3.47 million hectares (22.77%), mainly because of the large stretches of salt pans and intertidal mudflats.

The aquatic environment generally consists of a large range of floral and faunal diversity, which increasingly serves human requirements through contributions to agriculture, biofertilizers, sources of energy, raw materials for industry, and medicines ². Natural freshwater resources found across the world frequently provide an ideal habitat for the colonization of various macrophyte species ³. Herbal macrophytes have been used as traditional medicine since ancient times because they are amazing sources of physiologically active chemicals with medicinal qualities ⁹. Although herbal macrophytes play a significant role in disease prevention, and treatment and have also been used to cure a variety of human ailments by various groups of people ^{10, 11}. There are few ethnobotanical records, particularly on the medicinal macrophytes found in the Valsad area. The majority of regional communities live in various sections of the state and rely on their collective expertise and local resources for their daily healthcare. Due to a variety of factors, older generations are the only ones who are generally knowledgeable about plant lore, its significance, and its practice ^4–6. In the current communication, the documentation of aquatic medicinal plants found in the wetlands of the Valsad district is discussed. It is widely known that worldwide wetlands are disappearing fast and thus their resources both flora and fauna are depleting at the same pace⁷. The survival of aquatic species is threatened ^8, 9, and hence the study on aquatic resources especially those having economic value are important. ¹⁰ 

Study area

Gujarat's southernmost district, Valsad, is situated on the Arabian Sea's shore, the global position is located at 20°37'48.00" North latitude and 72°55'48.00" East longitude with an average elevation of 42 feet (13 meters) ⁵. The district covers a 3034 sq. km geographic area and a 23116-ha wetland area, which are 0.67 % of the total wetland area ⁵. Pardi wetland is an important lake of the Valsad district, situated at Pardi village near the Pardi Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) (Fig: 1). This perennial lake is located at 20^o 30’ 35.7” N 72^o 57’ 11.9” E coordinates and has a perimeter of 2298.25 m. The depth of this lake has continuously fluctuated during the study period due to the Sujlam Suflam Yojna. The average depth of the lake was 6 to 7 meters during the monsoon season and reduced to 1 to 2 meters during the summer season, but it did not dry out and the lake stored a high amount of water. This lake carries a considerable volume of household sewage, industrial run-off as well as a huge amount of agricultural runoff from the surrounding area ¹¹.

Figure 1: Selected study area of Valsad district, Gujarat.   Click here to view Figure

Materials and methods

Throughout the study period (January 2019 to December 2019), field visits were made to collect and precisely record the aquatic macrophyte species that were present at the Pardi wetland in Valsad district, Gujarat, India. From January 2019 to December 2019, the survey was carried out every three months, covering all seasons (winter, summer, monsoon), however, in order to have a better knowledge of seasonal fluctuation, we collected specimens, initially as well as at the end of the month, during winter (January month), summer (April month), pre-monsoon (July month), and post-monsoon (October month) seasons. For the flora study, the quadrate method (50 cm ²) was randomly applied in 20 different places and analysed. ¹² The collected macrophyte species were identified with the guidance of the herbarium, Botany department, VNSGU, and floras ^{12, 13}. The macrophyte species were classified into six subcategories based on their growth form, including free-floating, floating but rooted, submerged but not rooted, submerged but rooted amphibious macrophytes, and emergent macrophytes, prescribed by Pedralli, (1990) methods.¹² The life form classification study was done as per Raunkiaer's (1934) life form classification system as modified by the researcher Ellenberg and Mueller-Dombois (1967), and Mueller-Dombois and Ellenberg (1974).^12–15 

Personal interviews and conversations with local people especially with senior villagers were used to gather socio-economic and ethnobotanical data by interviewing through a questionnaire 45 local informers, including 25 females and 20 males. During the research period, regular fieldwork and survey were organized in the different surrounding villages of the selected wetland, Pardi Lake. Data were gathered on different aspects by asking questions about the aquatic plant, its local names, used parts and how these parts were utilized, and for which diseases treatment. The interviewer was asked questions in Gujarati because of the ease of local inhabitants who are uneducated and the English language is not logical in most cases. A list of diverse economically relevant macrophytes base of uses was compiled because locals utilize macrophytes in a variety of ways, the research involves personal interviews, observations, and surveys. These folks are the only ones who know the names of the indigenous macrophyte species and how they may be used in different ways. Many questionnaires were utilized during these activities, such as the usage of macrophytes, which plant parts were used, economic worth, and so on. 

Result 

Anyone can simply obtain information about a site’s species diversity by looking at its floristic composition list. According to Gupta (2017), one of the important anatomical characteristics of the plant community is an area's floristic composition.¹⁶ It has been documented 43 macrophyte species at the Pardi wetland of the Valsad district, Gujarat (Table: 1). At the selected wetland, Pardi Lake in Gujarat's Valsad district, 43 species of macrophytes from 35 genera and 24 families were documented during the investigation (Table: 1). Out of the 43 macrophyte species, 40 macrophyte species represented angiosperms, two macrophyte species like as Azolla pinnata R. Br., and Marselia quadrifolia L. represented the pteridophytes, and one species of macrophyte, Chara globularis L. represented macroalgae (Table: 1).

Figure 2: Family composition of recorded macrophyte species at Pardi wetland.   Click here to view Figure

Among the total family, Araceae, Cyperaceae, and Poaceae was the largest one which comprises six macrophyte species followed by Convolvulaceae, Hydrocharitaceae, Nymphaeceae, and Polygonaceae (two macrophyte species), and others were considered as monospecific ones (Fig: 2). 

Figure 3: % Classification of macrophyte species based on ecological characters.   Click here to view Figure

The aquatic species were classified based on growth forms ¹³, into six major categories i) free-floating, ii) floating but rooted, iii) submerged but rooted, iv) submerged but not rooted, v) amphibious and rooted; and vi) emergent macrophytes (Table: 1). Out of 43 macrophyte species, 6.98 % macrophytes represents submerged but rooted group, and 6.98 % are under submerged but not rooted group. Submerged species are vascular, and their vegetative development occurs below the water's surface. With increasing water depth or solid particles suspended in water, light intensity drops, due to this reason, they contain less macrophyte diversity ^18,19. A total of 13.95 % were under the free-floating category, 16.28 % of macrophytes were under the rooted with floating leaves category, and 18.60 % of macrophyte species represent the amphibious category. Emergent macrophytes are the most common kind of aquatic vegetation, out-competing other types due to their capacity to catch sunlight before it reaches the water's surface ^20,21, due to these reasons emergent macrophytes are dominant with 37.21 %, over the process of the investigation (Fig: 3).

Figure 4: % Classification of macrophyte species based on life form   Click here to view Figure

The composition of vegetation’s life forms is an essential foundation for any ecological research. The distribution of a community’s life forms provides information on the community’s reaction to specific environmental variables. ^13-15 The Raunkiaer’s one, according to Singh and Gupta (2015), is the best-recognized description and classification of life forms, as well as the utilization of life forms to create a biological spectrum.²¹ Raunkiaer grouped species’ life forms in natural succession, using the primary criterion of the location of perennating buds, and he demonstrated that this criterion was accepted to indicate climatic adaptability ¹⁵. The macrophytes in this study were categorized into different life forms using Raunkiaer’s categorization. Figure: 4 shows the various life-form categories, macrophyte species within these groups, and their percentages of occurrence. Cryptophytes have the highest percentage of them (51.16 %), followed by Chamophytes (18.60 %), Hemi cryptophytes (18.60 %), and Therophytes (11.63 %). 

A list of plants found in wetlands with their associated indicator statuses can be found on the national list of plant species ²³. The five indicator statuses are Obligate Wetland Plants (OBL), Facultative Wetland Plants (FACW), Facultative Plants (FAC), Facultative Upland Plants (FACU), Obligate Upland Plants (UPL). Based on these indicator statuses total of 43 species of macrophytes were categorized and represented in Table 1. Out of these 43 macrophyte species, 46.51 % macrophyte species belong to Facultative Wetland Plants, 37.21 % species belong to Obligate Upland Plants, 9.30 % species belong to Facultative Plants, 4.65 % macrophyte species belong to Facultative Upland Plants and 2.33 % macrophytes represent the Obligate Upland Plants (Fig: 5).

Figure 5: Wetland indicator status of existing macrophyte species.   Click here to view Figure

During fieldwork at Pardi wetland total of 43 macrophyte species were identified and listed based on the visual observation in the quadrats by using Shah (1978) and Cook (1908). ^23-24 The given tables show the list of aquatic macrophytes with their indicator statuses, ecological type, local name, family, and life form classification (Table: 1), and socioeconomic and ethnobotanical importance of existing macrophyte species (Table: 2).

Table 1: Floristic composition of present macrophyte species at Pardi wetland.

(Abbreviations used in the table: FF = Free floating, FR = Floating but rooted, SNR = Submerged but not rooted, SR = Submerged but rooted, ER = Emergent, CH = Chamophytes, HC = Hemicryptophytes, CR = Cryptophytes, TH = Therophytes, OBL = Obligate Wetland Plants, FACW = Facultative Wetland Plants, FAC = Facultative Plants, FACU = Facultative Upland Plants, UPL = Obligate Upland Plants).

Table 2: Socio-economic and ethnobotanical importance of macrophyte species at Pardi wetland 

Discussion

The selected site represents less microphyte diversity because of the huge anthropogenic pressure and industrial effluents, besides some species are dominant at Pardi Lake because of the favourable environment. A similar observation was found by ²⁶ in Gala Lake, Turkey. 

The majority of morphologically submerged macrophyte species are vascular, and their vegetative development occurs below the water’s surface ²⁷. With increasing water depth or solid suspended particles in water, light intensity drops, due to this reason they are so weak. ²⁷ This group represented the lowest floristic percentage over the process of the investigation (6.98 %) (Fig: 2). The root system, rooted with a floating group of macrophytes, is poorly developed, plant growth is reduced due to low light intensity, stems are generally long and slender, leaves have recurred and thin, narrow, ribbon-shaped, and finely dissected, stems are generally long and slender, stems are generally long and slender ²⁸. The free-floating macrophytes, on the other hand, float freely on the water's surface. The shooting system isn't very well developed. Internodes are extremely short and compact. The root system is underdeveloped and lacks root hairs and the leaves are broad. ²⁹ The majority of the amphibious macrophytes have rhizomes and have two types of leaves, submerged leaves which are narrow and heavily dissected, whereas aerial leaves are broad or just slightly lobed, with a propensity to increase the exposed surface area ³⁰. Emergent macrophytes are the most common kind of aquatic vegetation ³¹, out-competing other types due to their capacity to catch sunlight before it reaches the water's surface ³², due to these reasons emergent macrophytes are dominant with 37.21 %, over the process of the investigation (Fig: 2). A similar observation was obtained by (Malik & Namdeo, 2010) in the polluted pond of Shahjahanpur (India); ³⁴ in the wetlands of Hojai subdivision, Nagaon district, Assam, India. 

The region may be classified as a cryptophytic climate based on these observations of the percentage composition of various life form classes of macrophytes at the research site. Cryptophytic condition indicates a warm and dry climate ³⁵. The existence of heavy anthropogenic activity in the wetlands, where low percentages of Hemicryptophytes showed unsuitability of the environment, may explain the suggestion of warm and dry conditions by exhibiting a high percentage of occurrence of cryptophytes. ³⁶ Macrophyte species are general markers of varying degrees of environmental conditions; nevertheless, they are not accurate ³⁷. The existence of a macrophyte species at a location is determined by many climatic, edaphic, and biotic conditions, and it is hard to separate the influence of specific elements such as degree of substrate saturation and depth and duration of standing water.³⁸

Conclusion

Anthropogenic activities have impacted wetland ecosystem services across the world. It is well-known that global wetlands are shrinking rapidly and hence their resources both floral and faunal are depleting at the same pace. In the developing world restoration of wetlands is highly needed. The present study shows the macrophyte species composition in the wetland ecosystem and the socio-economic benefit of the present macrophyte species. The survival of aquatic species is threatened and hence the study of aquatic resources especially those having economic value are important. The production of wetlands macrophytes is excessive, which benefits the rural as well as urban economy. Many macrophytes are harvested by underprivileged people living in nearby wetland regions, such as neighbouring villages, and sold in local marketplaces for daily use as food, fodder, thatching, medicine, and other reasons. The study will also help to recreate wetland diversity precisely to Valsad District which has the maximum number of wetlands in Gujarat state. Furthermore, the study can be also helpful for understanding the complexity of the wetland ecosystem. Besides, Wetlands not only provide useful resources but are also important in terms of ecology and maintaining the climate of the region. Therefore, the conservation of wetlands especially in Valsad district, Gujarat needs to be addressed urgently.

Acknowledgment

Authors are thankful to Dr. R. M. Patel, as well as the Botany department, VNSGU (Veer Narmad South Gujarat University) for the identification of collected specimens, and also thank the local people who help us for the socio-economic and ethnobotanical knowledge.

Conflict of Interest

The authors do not have any conflict of interest.

Funding Sources

The authors appreciate the financial support provided by UGC New Delhi –NFOBC (Candidate ID: NFO-2018-19- OBC-GUJ-66980).

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