Abstract
In lotic ecosystems, submerged aquatic vegetation has important effects on hydrodynamic and sediment processes. These effects depend on plant morphology and patch structure. This study aimed to test the effect of 2 aquatic plant species on flow and sediment characteristics. For this purpose we measured under natural conditions 3D velocity profiles and sediment characteristics along the main axis of one patch of each species. The 2 species presented contrasting effects on velocity, turbulence profiles and sediment characteristics: one species had significant effects on hydrodynamics and accumulation of fine sediment also further downstream of the patch, whereas the second one accumulated very fine sediment mainly in the upstream half of the patch. These results emphasize the role of plant morphology on hydrodynamics and sediment physic-chemical characteristics.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barko J, Smart R (1983) Effects of organic matter additions to sediment on the growth of aquatic plants. J Ecol 161–175
Carpenter SR, Lodge DM (1986) Effects of submersed macrophytes on ecosystem processes. Aquat Bot 26:341–370
Hendriks IE, Sintes T, Bouma TJ, Duarte CM (2008) Experimental assessment and modeling evaluation of the effects of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica on flow and particle trapping. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 356:163–173
Hendriks IE, Bouma TJ, Morris EP, Duarte CM (2009) Effects of seagrasses and algae of the Caulerpa family on hydrodynamics and particle-trapping rates. Mar Biol 157:473–481
James WF, Barko JW, Butler MG (2004) Shear stress and sediment resuspension in relation to submersed macrophyte biomass. Hydrobiologia 515:181–191
Jones CG, Lawton JH, Shachak M (1994) Organisms as ecosystem engineers. Oikos 373–386
Marion A, Nikora V, Puijalon S et al (2014) Aquatic interfaces: a hydrodynamic and ecological perspective. J Hydraul Res 52:744–758
Miler O, Albayrak I, Nikora V, O’Hare M (2012) Biomechanical properties of aquatic plants and their effects on plant–flow interactions in streams and rivers. Aquat Sci 74:31–44
Nepf HM (2012) Flow and transport in regions with aquatic vegetation. Annu Rev Fluid Mech 44:123–142
O’Hare MT, Hutchinson KA, Clarke RT (2007) The drag and reconfiguration experienced by five macrophytes from a lowland river. Aquat Bot 86:253–259
Petticrew EL, Kalff J (1992) Water flow and clay retention in submerged macrophyte beds. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 49:2483–2489
Pluntke T, Kozerski HP (2003) Particle trapping on leaves and on the bottom in simulated submerged plant stands. Hydrobiologia 506:575–581
Sand-Jensen K (1998) Influence of submerged macrophytes on sediment composition and near-bed flow in lowland streams. Freshw Biol 39:663–679
Sand-Jensen K (2003) Drag and reconfiguration of freshwater macrophytes. Freshw Biol 48:271–283
Sand-Jensen K, Mebus JR (1996) Fine-scale patterns of water velocity within macrophyte patches in streams. Oikos 169–180
Sand-Jensen KAJ, Pedersen ML (2008) Streamlining of plant patches in streams. Freshw Biol 53:714–726
Schoelynck J, de Groote T, Bal K, Vandenbruwaene W, Meire P, Temmerman S (2012) Self-organised patchiness and scale-dependent bio-geomorphic feedbacks in aquatic river vegetation. Ecography 35:760–768
Schoelynck J, Meire D, Bal K et al (2013) Submerged macrophytes avoiding a negative feedback in reaction to hydrodynamic stress. Limnologica Ecol Manage Inland Waters 43:371–380
Schulz M, Kozerski HP, Pluntke T, Rinke K (2003) The influence of macrophytes on sedimentation and nutrient retention in the lower River Spree (Germany). Water Res 37:569–578
Tison J-M, de Foucault B (2014) Flora Gallica - Flore de France. Biotope Editions 1195
Vandenbruwaene W, Temmerman S, Bouma TJ et al. (2011) Flow interaction with dynamic vegetation patches: Implications for biogeomorphic evolution of a tidal landscape. J Geophys Res 116
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Research Executive Agency, through the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union, Support for Training and Career Development of Researchers (Marie Curie—FP7-PEOPLE-2012-ITN), which funded the Initial Training Network (ITN) HYTECH ‘Hydrodynamic Transport in Ecologically Critical Heterogeneous Interfaces’, No. 316546. We thank Félix Vallier and Thérèse Bastide for field and technical assistance and the CNR (Compagnie Nationale du Rhône) for access to field sites. This study was carried out under the aegis of the Rhône Basin Long-Term Environmental Research (ZABR, Zone Atelier Bassin du Rhône).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Licci, S. et al. (2016). Effect of Aquatic Plant Patches on Flow and Sediment Characteristics: The Case of Callitriche platycarpa and Elodea nuttallii . In: Rowiński, P., Marion, A. (eds) Hydrodynamic and Mass Transport at Freshwater Aquatic Interfaces. GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27750-9_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27750-9_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27749-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27750-9
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)