Effects of Buoyancy and Season on Turion Dispersal of Submerged Macrophyte Potamogeton crispus L

Abstract

Propagules dispersal and colonization ability are major issues of macrophyte regeneration. For submerged macrophyte Potamogeton crispus L., turion dispersal along water flow can favor the long‐distance expansion of its population; therefore, it is crucial to investigate factors that affect turion dispersal. For this purpose, we studied effects of buoyancy and season on dispersal P. crispus turions by collecting field samples from Taihu Lake, over a three‐months period (turion‐formatting season, from May to July). Germination experiments (30 days in each sampling month) revealed that the floating turions germinated earlier and faster than the sinking ones across the three sampling months. After germination, the floating turions showed higher seedling height; whereas the sinking turions accumulated more sprouts biomass. The soluble sugar, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were found higher in the floating turions. The starch concentrations remained high without buoyancy or season effects. These results indicate that both internal (e.g., buoyancy, soluble sugar, TN, and TP concentrations) and external environmental factors (e.g., light condition and temperature) may contribute to germinability and plant growth of P. crispus turions. This study offers new insights into the dispersal of asexual propagules of submerged macrophytes.

Turion morphological responses to water nutrient concentrations and plant density in the submerged macrophyte Potamogeton crispus

“…crispus produced more and smaller turions under nutrient-rich than under nutrient-poor conditions 12 20 . Recent studies have also indicated that turions with larger sizes produced longer plantlet heights and sprout biomass than did those with smaller sizes 51 52 . The turion biomass was used as an index to indicate the turion size in these studies.…”

“…Recent studies have demonstrated that the non-structural carbohydrate or soluble protein reserves in the asexual propagules of aquatic macrophytes could be readily mobilized and used for sprouting or regrowth 52 53 54 55 . Unfortunately, we did not measure the reserve concentration in the turions of P. crispus .…”

Floating Wetlands: A Sustainable Tool for Wastewater Treatment

“…[6] Nevertheless, first comprehensive description was provided by Russel in 1942 who used the term "flotant" and described the formation of these thick root mats that allow emergent macrophytes to grow on the floating mat. [7] Later, van Duzer compiled the bibliography on NFWs from about 1800 literature sources in 20 languages and described their important features such as development scheme, basis of buoyancy, ecological characteristics, control and management, wildlife habitat, and enhancement of water quality. [8] In recent years, variants of NFWs are exploited to treat anthropogenic discharges such as municipal wastewater, agriculture runoff, industrial effluents, etc.…”

The Response of Regeneration Ability of Myriophyllum spicatum Apical Fragments to Decaying Cladophora oligoclona

“…The rooting and sprouting of plant fragments during regeneration could be affected by environmental stresses such as pH, light, turbidity, and nutrients [25][26][27][28]. During plant growth and regeneration, photosynthesis is an extremely important metabolic process, and its intensity also has a very important influence on growth and stress resistance [29,30].…”