Appendix S1: Description of the study area, field sampling, measurements of environmental
variables, and a list of identification literature.
Study area and sites
The study was performed in the Western Carpathian Mts. (Fig. 1 in the main text), which
consist of two major regions: the Outer Western Carpathians (the Czech Republic-Slovakia
borderland and the Orava region in the north-western Slovakia) and the north-western part of
the Inner Western Carpathians. The former is characterized by flysh bedrock, made up of
rhythmically alternating geological beds that are formed by sandstone and claystone layers,
which differ in their chemistry. The later region has a more complex geological structure,
which primarily includes cores of Paleozoic and crystalline schists overlaid by Mesozoic
shale-sandstone and carbonate lithofacies (Poprawa & Nemčok, 1988; Hájek & Hekera,
2005).
Spring fens in the Western Carpathians cover usually a small area and are usually highly
isolated from each other. Altogether 59 fens were selected for this study encompassing the
whole length of the main ecological gradient of spring fens – the gradient of mineral richness.
This gradient represents the variance in spring-fen upwelling water chemistry (determined by
bedrock) and is delimited by calcareous tufa-forming fens and acidic Sphagnum-fens at the
opposite ends. Previous studies documented the effect of this gradient on many taxonomical
groups of organisms, such as vascular plants and mosses, Testacea, Mollusca, Clitellata, and
Diptera (Hájek et al., 2002; Horsák & Hájek, 2003; Opravilová & Hájek, 2006; Bojková et
al., 2011; Omelková et al., 2013).
Within-site heterogeneity of the studied sites is represented mainly by flow conditions,
while hydrochemistry varies only negligibly. Two considerably contrasting aquatic
mesohabitats can be easily distinguished at each site – the flowing-water mesohabitat and the
standing-water mesohabitat. The first one represents the uppermost part of a spring brook
flowing from the spring source, while the latter represents the waterlogged substratum with a
thin layer of virtually standing water. Compared to the flowing water, the standing-water is
more susceptible to water level and temperature fluctuations during the season.
Field sampling and environmental variables
Samples were collected in spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October) in 2006–
2012. Altogether 236 samples were taken, one from each mesohabitat in each season,
resulting in four samples per site. A square plot of 25 x 25 cm was defined by a metal frame
and the upper layer of substratum and vegetation (approx. 5 cm thick) was gathered using a
hand net with the mesh size of 500 µm. Our previous studies have proved that the selected
sample size provided a reasonable estimate of the assemblage taxonomic structure, without
causing any substantial damages of these valuable and highly endangered habitats. The
collected material was elutriated through a net with the mesh size of 500 µm and fixed with
4% formaldehyde. The larvae of aquatic macroinvertebrates were hand-sorted and identified
in the laboratory using a dissecting stereomicroscope and light microscope.
Environmental variables (pH, water conductivity, water temperature, and dissolved
oxygen) were measured (HACH HQ40d) in situ before the sampling. The amount of Total
Organic Carbon (TOC; Shimandzu TOC-VCPH) was assessed from substratum samples of 100
ml volume, taken next to each sampling plot. The concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Fe3-,
NO3-, SO42-, and PO43- ions in water were measured in an accredited laboratory (T.G.
Masaryk Water Research Institute, Brno) from water samples taken in the autumn because of
relatively stable water chemistry (Hájek et al., 2006). In autumn, substratum samples were
also collected and the amount of organic matter (ORG) and the amount and the size structure
of the inorganic particles were determined. The ORG was elutriated, dried (at 80 °C), and
weighed. The remaining inorganic substratum was dried and sieved through a series of sieves.
The median grain size (D50) and the total weight of all the fractions of the inorganic
substratum (INORG) were determined. Water discharge was measured at the spring-fen
outflow using a bucket.
Vegetation composition was recorded in a square plot of 4 x 4 m located in the central part
of each site. At sites with heterogeneous vegetation, which notably differed between the two
mesohabitats, an additional vegetation plot (1 x 1 m) was sampled. The covers of all plant
species were estimated using the Braun-Blanquet nine-grade scale (van der Maarel, 1979) and
were used to infer three environmental variables (moisture, nutrients, and soil reaction) as the
weighted means of the Ellenberg indicator values (EIV) (for details see Horsák et al., 2007).
References
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pattern of clitellate (Annelida) assemblages in the treeless spring fens: the effect of water
chemistry and substrate. Hydrobiologia, 667, 159–171.
Hájek M. & Hekera P. (2005) The study area and its geochemical characteristic. In:
Poulíčková A., Hájek M. & Rybníček K. (Eds.), Ecology and palaeoecology of spring
fens of the West Carpathians. Palacký University, Olomouc, 209 pp.
Hájek M., Hekera P. & Hájková P. (2002) Spring fen vegetation and water chemistry in the
Western Carpathian flysch zone. Folia Geobotanica, 37, 205–224.
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Omelková M., Syrovátka V., Křoupalová V., Rádková V., Bojková J., Horsák M. et al. (2013)
Dipteran assemblages of spring fens closely follow the gradient of groundwater mineral
richness. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 70, 689–700.
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Figure S1: Rank abundance plots for six datasets (see upper headings). Arrows indicate
dividing points between common and rare species. Black circles represent common species,
open (or grey) circles rare species. Grey circles indicate rare species included in the matrix
adjusted to the same information value as for the matrix of common species.
Figure S2: Variance partitioning run for habitat specialists (special) vs. matrix-derived
generalists (general) and rare vs. common species separately for three insect taxa. For details
see Fig. 2.
Figure S3: Variance partitioning run for the whole rare species matrix and the rare species
matrix adjusted to the same information values as for the common species matrix (mod
suffix). For details see Fig. 2.