Abstract
Factors affecting the within-lake distribution of Trapa japonica were analysed in Lake Mikata, Japan, by integrating remote sensing analyses, field surveys, and laboratory experiments. The T. japonica bed has been expanding since 2006 and covered more than 60 % of the lake’s area from 2008 to 2010. However, two parts of the lake, the upper and lower areas, retained open water, even during recent years. A survey of lake-bottom sediments revealed a heterogeneous seed distribution. Although seed density exceeded 13 seeds/m2 in the lake’s central area, no seeds were observed in the upper and lower areas. A seed-bag retrieval experiment showed that 75.6 % of seeds at the upper site germinated when seeds were artificially introduced, whereas 6.7 % of seeds germinated at the lower site. These results suggest that seed dispersal opportunities are the primary limitation on the distribution of T. japonica in the upper area. Brackish water was found in springs in the lower area, reflecting an adverse inflow of water from a downstream brackish lake. Laboratory experiments revealed significant adverse effects of water salinity on germination and early growth of T. japonica. Based on these results, we concluded that the heterogeneous distribution of T. japonica within the lake was determined by a combination of two factors: limitations on seed dispersal determined by the inflowing river and harmful salinity levels caused by inflows of seawater from the Sea of Japan via a downstream brackish lake.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bogucki DJ, Gruendling GK, Madden M (1980) Remote sensing to monitor water chestnut growth in Lake Champlain. J Soil Water Conserv 35:79–81
Caraco NF, Cole JJ (2002) Contrasting impacts of a native and alien macrophyte on dissolved oxygen in a large river. Ecol Appl 12:1496–1509
Cattaneo A, Galanti G, Gentinetta S, Romo S (1998) Epiphytic algae and macroinvertebrates on submerged and floating-leaved macrophytes in an Italian lake. Freshw Biol 39:725–740
Cazzanelli M, Warming TP, Christoffersen KS (2008) Emergent and floating-leaved macrophytes as refuge for zooplankton in a eutrophic temperate lake without submerged vegetation. Hydrobiologia 605:113–122
Feldman RS (2001) Taxonomic and size structures of phytophilous macroinvertebrate communities in Vallisneria and Trapa beds of the Hudson River, New York. Hydrobiologia 452:233–245
Goodwin K, Caraco NF, Cole J (2008) Temporal dynamics of dissolved oxygen in a floating-leaved macrophyte bed. Freshw Biol 53:1632–1641
Haag RW (1983) Emergence of seedlings of aquatic macrophytes from lake sediments. Can J Bot 61:148–156
Hirayama A, Sekioka H, Taniho H, Matsumura T (2006) Aquatic plant distribution in Mikata-goko, Fukui Prefecture, central Japan (I). Ciconia 11:49–58 (in Japanese with English summary)
Hummel M, Kiviat E (2004) Review of world literature on water chestnut with implications for management in North America. J Aquat Plant Manage 42:17–28
Jensch D, Poschlod P (2008) Germination ecology of two closely related taxa in the genus Oenanthe: fine tuning for the habitat? Aquat Bot 89:345–351
Johansson ME, Nilsson C (1993) Hydrochory, population dynamics and distribution of the clonal aquatic plant Ranunculus lingua. J Ecol 81:81–91
Kadono Y (2007) Change in macrophytic flora of Lake Takkobu, Kushiro, Japan, in past 30 years. Jpn J Limnol 68:105–108 (in Japanese with English summary)
Khan MA, Ungar IA (1997) Effects of light, salinity, and thermoperiod on the seed germination of halophytes. Can J Bot 75:835–841
Kornijów R, Strayer DL, Caraco NF (2010) Macroinvertebrate communities of hypoxic habitats created by an invasive plant (Trapa natans) in the freshwater tidal Hudson River. Fundam Appl Limnol 176:199–207
Kuroda H, Nishihiro J, Washitani I (2009) Species composition and spatial heterogeneity of the sediment propagule bank in Lake Kasumigaura. Ecol Civil Eng 12:21–36 (in Japanese with English abstract and figures)
Laba M, Downs R, Smith S, Welsh S, Neider C, White S, Richmond M, Philpot W, Baveye P (2008) Mapping invasive wetland plants in the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve using Quickbird satellite imagery. Remote Sens Environ 112:286–300
Nieder WC, Barnaba E, Findlay SEG, Hoskins S, Holochuck N, Blair EA (2004) Distribution and abundance of submerged aquatic vegetation and Trapa natans in the Hudson River Estuary. J Coast Res 45:150–161
Nielsen DL, Brock MA, Corosslé K, Harris K, Healey M, Jarosinski I (2003) The effects of salinity on aquatic plant germination and zooplankton hatching from wetland sediments. Freshw Biol 48:2214–2223
Nishihiro J, Okamoto M, Takamura N (2009) Macrophytic flora and vegetation of Lake Shirarutoro in Kushiro Marsh, Japan. Jpn J Limnol 70:183–190 (in Japanese)
Rahmstorf S (2007) A semi-empirical approach to projecting future sea-level rise. Science 315:368–370
Scheffer M, Szabo S, Gragnani A, Van Nes EH, Rinaldi S, Kautsky N, Norberg J, Roijackers RMM, Franken RJM (2003) Floating plant dominance as a stable state. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:4040–4045
Strayer DL, Lutz C, Malcom HM, Munger K, Shaw WH (2003) Invertebrate communities associated with a native (Vallisneria americana) and an alien (Trapa natans) macrophyte in a large river. Freshw Biol 48:1938–1949
Takamura N, Ito T, Ueno R, Ohtuka A, Wakana I, Nakagawa M, Ueno Y, Nakajima H (2009) Environmental gradients determining the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in Lake Takkobu, Kushiro wetland, northern Japan. Ecol Res 24:181–371
Tall L, Caraco N, Maranger R (2011) Denitrification hot spots: dominant role of invasive macrophyte Trapa natans in removing nitrogen from a tidal river. Ecol Appl 21:3104–3114
Ueda S, Kawabata H, Hasegawa H, Kondo K (2000) Characteristics of fluctuations in salinity and water quality in brackish Lake Obuchi. Limnology 1:57–62
UNESCO (1981) Tenth report of the joint panel on oceanographic tables and standards. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris
Wyrtki K (1974) Sea level and the seasonal fluctuations of the equatorial currents in the western Pacific Ocean. J Phys Oceanogr 4:91–103
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the staff of Fukui Coastal Nature Centre, Fukui Prefecture, for supporting our work at Lake Mikata and Dr. Jun Ishii for advice on the remote sensing analyses. This research was partially supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (D-0910 and S-9) of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (#25281052) of JSPS.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Nishihiro, J., Kato, Y., Yoshida, T. et al. Heterogeneous distribution of a floating-leaved plant, Trapa japonica, in Lake Mikata, Japan, is determined by limitations on seed dispersal and harmful salinity levels. Ecol Res 29, 981–989 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-014-1186-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-014-1186-6