Traits of winner and loser species under different scenarios
(Q2.2)
We identified traits of the species that statistically significantly
influence if a species is a winner or a loser under increased or
decreased nutrient, and turbidity conditions. High correlations between
traits of aquatic plants and anthropogenic pressures are known for the
compositional shift from submerged to emerged life forms (Zervas et al.,
2019). However, direct comparisons with Zervas et al. (2019) are
challenging because they use different traits. We found traits that are
sensitive to environmental change and that affect the plants’ biomass
production, light requirements, nutrient limitation, life cycle, and
depth-dependent disturbance sensitivity (Figure 4). This means that
changes in multiple traits, and thus in different functions, might be
required to cope with impending environmental change.