Abstract
Dominant floating and submerged rootless vegetation can be regarded as alternative stable states world-wide. The competition between these two vegetation types can be strongly influenced by epiphytic algae. These algae, on the other hand, are partially controlled by grazers like snails. However, how this interaction between snails and epiphyton affects the competition between floating and submerged rootless vegetation remains rather unclear. Here, we investigate this interaction. Floating (Lemna gibba) and submerged rootless (Ceratophyllum demersum) plants were co-cultured with the presence and absence of the grazing snail Radix labiata. Biomass and nitrogen uptake of algae were strongly reduced in the presence of grazing snails. Ceratophyllum-epiphyton complex without snails reduced N and P concentration of the medium faster and had higher pH values than with the presence of grazing snails. These changes resulted in more unfavourable conditions for free-floating plants. The presence of snails indirectly increased the growth, tissue N concentration and N uptake for both Lemna and Ceratophyllum. Submerged plants together with epiphyton caused 20% more growth limitation on Lemna than Ceratophyllum alone. Structural equations modelling together with experimental results revealed that grazing snails seem to weaken the negative impact of macrophyte-epiphyton complex on Lemna. Large-scale field observations showed that the abundance of L. gibba negatively correlated with Ceratophyllum cover. Abundance of C. demersum and L. gibba negatively correlated with algal biomass; however, correlated positively with the group of larger sized grazing snails. Our findings strengthen the hypothesis that under a certain nutrient range, epiphytic algae stabilize the submerged vegetated state preventing colonization of lentic ponds by free-floating plants.
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Acknowledgements
We like to thank the PLONS researchers Jeroen van Zuidam, Annelies Veraart and Jeroen de Klein for the use of the data and Kevin Loddey for linguistic corrections. This study was financed by the Scientific Board of University of Nyíregyháza and by the NKFIH OTKA K-132150 Grant.
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10021_2021_721_MOESM1_ESM.tif
Supplementary file1. ESM Figure 1. The impact of algae and Ceratophyllum in the presence and absence of pond snail (Radix labiata) on the relative growth rate (RGR day 4-12) of Lemna cultures grown on media containing 0.5 and 5 mg L-1 N (means ±SE, n=3). Significant differences (Tukey’s test, P<0.05) among treatments of the same nitrogen level are indicated with different lowercase letters (TIF 834 kb)
10021_2021_721_MOESM2_ESM.tif
Supplementary file2 ESM Figure 2. Correlation of phytoplankton chlorophyll-a with coverage of Ceratophyllum demersum (A), (n=237) and of Lemna gibba (B) (N=154). Correlation of large sized snails (Lymnea, Radix, Planorbis and Viviparus species) density (C), with C. demersum coverage (n=71). Correlation of L. gibba with coverage of C. demersum (D), (n=715, data were X+0.1 transformed) (TIF 2453 kb)
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Koleszár, G., Nagy, Z., Peeters, E.T.H.M. et al. The Role of Epiphytic Algae and Grazing Snails in Stable States of Submerged and of Free-Floating Plants. Ecosystems 25, 1371–1383 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-021-00721-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-021-00721-w