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Effects of substrate and shading on the growth of two submerged macrophytes

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Abstract

Excessive nutrient loading may cause a shift from submerged macrophyte dominance to free-floating macrophyte dominance. Tolerance and persistence of submerged plants in response to shade may be key characteristics in determining when/if such a shift occurs in shallow eutrophic lakes. This study examines how the cover of floating macrophyte (Lemna minor) and shade of dark mesh affect the growth and photosynthetic efficiency of two submerged plants (Vallisneria natans and Myriophyllum spicatum) on different nutrient substrates. We found that low- and mid-cover intensities generally enhanced the leaf/shoot growth of both submerged plants under all cover and substrate types. The relative growth rates (RGR) were slightly enhanced under the treatment of Lemna with low- and mid-intensity cover on both nutrient-rich substrates. The leaf/shoot growth and RGR of both submerged macrophytes generally increased more under Lemna cover than mesh cover. The photosynthetic efficiency (F v/F m value) typically increased with the duration of treatment and the cover densities. In addition, these two macrophytes with contrasting growth forms have markedly different growth and survival strategies in response to covers. These results strengthen the hypothesis that submerged plants can successfully develop under a low-intensity cover of floating vegetation on nutrient-rich substrate.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (30970469) and the National S&T Major Project (2008ZX07102-005). We thank Diana Chen for language editing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China

    Jing Lu, Zhixiu Wang, Wei Xing & Guihua Liu

  2. Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Jing Lu & Zhixiu Wang

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  1. Jing Lu
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  2. Zhixiu Wang
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  4. Guihua Liu
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Correspondence to Guihua Liu.

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Handling editor: Sidinei Magela Thomaz

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Lu, J., Wang, Z., Xing, W. et al. Effects of substrate and shading on the growth of two submerged macrophytes. Hydrobiologia 700, 157–167 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1227-5

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