Context Preserving hydrophyte and wetland plant diversity is among the most critical environmental issues worldwide. The progressive decline and disappearance of these species led to dramatic consequences on functions and services provided by inland aquatic ecosystems. This is especially relevant for lowlands that are usually disturbance-dominated landscapes, mainly by mechanization in agriculture and land use changes. Objectives In these contexts, it is fundamental to understand the key factors affecting the aquatic and wetland plant richness, focusing on relict aquatic habitats, and overcoming a purely trophic-oriented approach. Methods To do this, the aquatic and wetland flora of 88 aquatic sites, encompassed in an oversimplified watershed, was explored in terms of the total number of aquatic and wetland plant species, hydrophytes, alien species, and policy species, as well as 18 explanatory variables, including eco-morphological, hydrological, direct human impact, and landscape mosaic drivers. Results The results emphasize the key role of site area and hydrological connectivity compared to land-use intensity in explaining hydrophyte and wetland plant richness in overexploited landscapes; conversely, site origin was crucial only for alien species, being more abundant in artificial sites. Conclusions This paper offers a new comprehension of the leading contribution of local drivers in explaining macrophyte patterns, suggesting a relevant influence of habitat dynamics in regulating species establishment and developing. The future challenge will be to actively include artificial and/or altered aquatic ecosystems in hydrophyte and wetland plants conservation programs, not forgetting the risks associated with an increasingly spread of alien species. Graphic Abstract

中文翻译：

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在过度开发的流域中，栖息地形态和连通性比土地利用强度更好地预测了水生植物和湿地植物的丰富度：来自波平原（意大利北部）的证据

背景 保护水生植物和湿地植物多样性是世界范围内最关键的环境问题之一。这些物种的逐渐减少和消失对内陆水生生态系统提供的功能和服务产生了巨大的影响。这对于通常以干扰为主的景观的低地尤其重要，主要是由于农业机械化和土地利用变化。目标 在这些背景下，了解影响水生和湿地植物丰富度的关键因素、关注废弃的水生栖息地并克服纯粹以营养为导向的方法至关重要。方法为此，从水生和湿地植物物种、水生植物、外来物种和政策物种，以及 18 个解释变量，包括生态形态、水文、人类直接影响和景观镶嵌驱动因素。结果 与土地利用强度相比，结果强调了场地面积和水文连通性在解释过度开发景观中水生植物和湿地植物丰富度方面的关键作用；相反，场地起源仅对外来物种至关重要，在人工场地中更为丰富。结论 本文提供了对当地驱动因素在解释大型植物模式方面的主要贡献的新理解，表明栖息地动态在调节物种建立和发展方面的相关影响。未来的挑战将是将人工和/或改变的水生生态系统积极纳入水生植物和湿地植物保护计划，不要忘记与外来物种日益扩散相关的风险。图形摘要