Abstract
Rates of weight loss and nutrient release (N, P, Ca, Mg, Na, K) were measured in decomposing tissues ofNymphaea nouchali Burm (leaf and rhizome) andNymphoides indica (L.) O Kuntze under field (90 days) and laboratory (60 days) conditions. Dry weight loss followed the sequence ofNymphoides indica>Nymphaea nouchali leaf >Nymphaea nouchali rhizome. The rate of nutrient release (N, P, Ca, Mg) from the decomposing tissues ofNymphaea nouchali rhizome appears to be correlated with nutrient concentration in leachate (receiving water) under laboratory experiments. The concentration of nitrogen in the decomposing tissues of all the samples increased with time. No increase in sodium and potassium concentrations was observed during the study under both the conditions. The maximum elemental loss was mostly observed under laboratory experiments than in the field studies. Accumulation of nitrogen, calcium and magnesium instead of release at certain stages of decomposition is attributed to microbial immobilization. The sequence of elemental loss in the decomposing tissues of these macrophytes is Na>K>P>Mg>Ca>N.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Attiwill P M 1968 The loss of elements from decomposing litter;Ecology 49 142–145
Bocock K L and Gilbert O J W 1957 The disappearance of leaf litter under different woodland conditions;Plant Soil 9 179–185
Boyd C E 1970 Losses of mineral nutrients during decomposition ofTypha latifolia;Arch. Hydrobiol. 66 511–517
Brinson M M 1977 Decomposition and nutrient exchange of litter in alluvial swamp forest;Ecology 58 601–609
Chamie J P M and Richardson C J 1978 Decomposition in Northern Wetlands; inFresh water wetlands (eds) R E Good, D F Whigham and R L Simpson (New York: Academic Press) pp 115–130
Davis C B and Van der Valk A G 1978 The decomposition of standing and fallen litter ofTypha glauca andScirpus fluviatilis;Can. J. Bot. 56 662–685
de la Cruz A A 1979 Production and transport of detritus in wetlands; inWetland functions and values: The state of our understanding (eds) P E Greeson, J R Clark and J E Clark (Minneapolis: Am. Water Resources Assoc.) pp 162–174
de la Cruz A A and Poe W E 1975 Amino acids in salt marsh detritus;Limnol. Oceanogr. 20 124–127
Godshalk G L and Wetzel R G 1978 Decomposition of aquatic angiosperms II. Particulate components;Aquat. Bot. 5 301–327
Golterman H L and Clymo R S 1969Methods for chemical analysis of fresh water IBP Handbook No. 8 (Oxford, Edinburgh: Blackwell)
Gosz J R, Likens G E and Borman F H 1973 Nutrient release from decomposing leaf and branch litter in the Hubbard Brook Forest, New Hampshire;Ecol. Monogr. 43 173–191
Hackney C T and de la Cruz A A 1980 In situ decomposition of roots and rhizomes of two tidal marsh plants;Ecology 61 226–231
Jackson M L 1967Soil chemical analysis (New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd.)
Kaushik N K and Hynes H B N 1971 The fate of the dead leaves that fall into streams;Arch. Hydrobiol. 68 465–515
Kulshreshtha M and Gopal B 1982 Decomposition of fresh water wetland vegetation 2. Above ground organs of emergent macrophytes; inWetlands, ecology and management (eds) B Gopal, R E Turner, R G Wetzel and D F Whigham (Jaipur: Natl. Inst. Ecol. Int. Sci. Pub.) pp 279–292
Laube H R and Wohler J R 1973 Studies on the decomposition of a duck weed (Lemnaceae) community;Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 100 238–240
Mason C F and Bryant R J 1975 Production, nutrient content and decomposition ofPhragmites communis Trin. andTypha angustifolia L.;J. Ecol. 63 71–95
Odum E P and de la Cruz A A 1967 Particulate detritus in a Georgia salt marsh estuarine ecosystems; inEstuaries (ed.) G Lauff (Washington: Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci.) pp 383–388
Olah J 1972 Leaching, colonization and stabilization during detritus formation;Mem. Inst. Ital. Indrobiol. Suppl. 29 105–127
Olson J S 1963 Energy storage and the balance of producers and decomposers in ecological systems;Ecology 44 322–331
Ralph M 1974Introduction to environmental microbiology (New York: Academic Press)
Sardana R K and Mehrotra R S 1981 Decomposition studies on three submerged hydrophytes in the Brahmasarovar Tank of Kurukshetra (India);Trop. Ecol. 22 187–193
Sharma K P and Goel P K 1986 Studies on decomposition of two species of Salvinia;Hydrobiologia 131 57–61
Sharma K P and Gopal B 1982 Decomposition and nutrient dynamics inTypha elephantina Roxb. under different water regimes; inWetlands ecology and management (eds) B Gopal, R E Turner, R G Wetzel and D F Whigham (Jaipur: Natl. Inst. Ecol. Int. Sci. Pub.) pp 321–334
Wetzel R G and Manny B A 1972 Decomposition of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen compounds from leaves in an experimental hard water stream;Limnol. Oceanogr. 17 927–931
Wohler J R, Robertson D B and Laube H R 1975 Studies on the decomposition ofPotamogeton diversifolius;Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 102 76–78
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Murty, K.S.N., Seshavatharam, V. Decomposition studies on two floating leaved macrophytes,Nymphaea nouchali andNymphoides indica, of lake Kondakarla, India. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. 99, 473–483 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03053617
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03053617