Table 2.
Mean concentrations/levels (± SE) of different environmental variables quantified from the three habitat types
| Environmental variable | Units | Stream | Seepage | Puddle | F-statistic (Numdf, Dendfa) | P-valueb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organic matter | % | 1.5 ± 0.3 a | 4.3 ± 1.3 a | 16.6 ± 3.2 b | 11.7 (2, 3) | 0.0381 |
| Phosphorus | mg/kg | 39.8 ± 4.8 b | 22.8 ± 2.9 a | 111.1 ± 6.8 c | 45.7 (2, 3) | 0.0057 |
| Potassium | mg/kg | 10.1 ± 1.7 a | 26.7 ± 3.7 b | 66.5 ± 4.4 c | 29.8 (2, 3) | 0.0105 |
| Magnesium | mg/kg | 22.1 ± 4.9 a | 87.4 ± 11.1 b | 144.2 ± 12.0 b | 30.4 (2, 3) | 0.0102 |
| Calcium | mg/kg | 278.2 ± 52.2 a | 334.3 ± 32.0 a | 1059.1 ± 63.2 b | 29.5 (2, 3) | 0.0106 |
| Copper | mg/kg | 0.0 ± 0.0 a | 0.0 ± 0.0 a | 0.03 ± 0.01 a | 7.7 (2, 3) | 0.0661 |
| Manganese | mg/kg | 2.4 ± 0.9 a | 6.7 ± 0.9 b | 19.3 ± 2.5 c | 32.6 (2, 3) | 0.0092 |
| Zinc | mg/kg | 0.4 ± 0.1 a | 0.9 ± 0.1 b | 3.0 ± 0.2 c | 48.4 (2, 3) | 0.0052 |
| pH | pH | 5.3 ± 0.1 a | 5.0 ± 0.1 a | 5.2 ± 0.1 a | 0.7 (2, 3) | 0.5683 |
| Electrical conductivity | dS/m | 0.1 ± 0.0 a | 0.2 ± 0.0 b | 0.3 ± 0.0 c | 13.0 (2, 3) | 0.0334 |
| Moisture | % | 34.2 ± 2.9 a | 59.5 ± 2.8 b | 70.1 ± 1.8 c | 59.0 (2, 3) | 0.0039 |
| Microbes | CFU/ml | 1.1 ± 0.2 × 108 a | 9.1 ± 2.2 × 107 a | 5.1 ± 1.0 × 108 a | 4.0 (2, 3) | 0.1412 |
aDenominator degrees of freedom (Dendf) were estimated using the Kenward–Roger method
bSignificant P-values are shown in bold
Note: Means followed by different letters indicate significant differences between habitat types (P < 0.05)