Growth forms and life-history strategies predict the occurrence of aquatic macrophytes in relation to environmental factors in a shallow peat lake complex

Abstract

Aquatic ecosystems provide vital services, and macrophytes play a critical role in their functioning. Conceptual models indicate that in shallow lakes, plants with different growth strategies are expected to inhabit contrasting habitats. For shallow peat lakes, characterized by incohesive sediments, roles of growth forms, life-history strategies and environmental factors in determining the occurrence of aquatic vegetation remain unknown. In a field survey, we sampled 64 points in a peat lake complex and related macrophyte occurrence to growth forms (floating-leaved rooted and submerged), life-history strategies for overwintering (turions, seeds, rhizomes) and environmental factors (water depth, fetch, and porewater nutrients). Our survey showed that macrophyte occurrence relates to water depth, wind-fetch, and nutrients, and depends on growth form and life-history strategies. Specifically, rooted floating-leaved macrophytes occur at lower wind-fetch/shallower waters. Submerged macrophytes occur from low to greater wind-fetch/water depth, depending on life-history strategies; macrophytes with rhizomes occur at greater wind-fetch/depth relative to species that overwinter with seeds or turions. We conclude that growth form and life-history strategies for overwintering predict macrophytes occurrence regarding environmental factors in peat lakes. Therefore, we propose an adapted model for macrophyte occurrence for such lakes. Altogether, these results may aid in species-selection to revegetate peat lakes depending on its environment.

The effect of human disturbance on the community composition and diversity of aquatic plants in the tropical wetlands of Lake Tana, Ethiopia

“…Generally, in our study area, spatial and seasonal variation in water levels caused variation in aquatic plant species richness and variations in community composition. For example, the wider range of water depths (5-350 cm) in papyrus swamps and increased water depth during the wet season in most of the studied wetlands supported a higher number of microhabitats which allowed the coexistence of emergent, oating, and submerged species with different water depth requirements (Temmink et al 2021), that ultimately increased species richness (Rutherford et al 2022). Water depth is also likely to in uence aquatic plant community composition by altering other physicochemical variables in wetlands (such as turbidity, temperature, and speci c conductance) in wetlands (Boeckman 2007).…”

Photosynthetic Responses of Freshwater Macrophytes to the Daily Light Cycle in Songkhla Lagoon

“…Furthermore, the recovery of F v /F m at 6 p.m. indicated the reversible photoinhibition, effective photoprotection, and photoadaptation of PSII of these macrophyte species. The ability of aquatic plants to survive under various conditions of light availability is partly related to their form, traits, photosynthetic structure, and mechanisms such as pigment contents, C 3 and C 4 , and acclimation capacity to changing light and temperature [ 11 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 30 ]. These species contain chlorophyll a and b as light harvesting pigments and carotenoid as a photoprotection mechanism.…”

“…Light and temperature are two of the most important factors controlling the growth, productivity, abundance, distribution, and survival of different groups of aquatic macrophytes [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. The ecophysiological response of macrophytes to light and temperature depends upon their life form, traits, photosynthetic structure, and mechanisms, e.g., pigment contents, C 3 and C 4 plants, and their acclimation capacity to changing light and temperature [ 23 , 24 , 25 ]. The loading of sediment and nutrients and epiphytic algae can also reduce light availability and inhibit physiological processes [ 22 ].…”

Ecological and functional niches comparison reveals differentiated resource-use strategies and ecological thresholds in four key floating-leaved macrophytes

“…is replacing native stands of Nymphaea alba L. and Nuphar lutea (L.) Sm. in shallow lakes of Northern Italy (Villa et al 2018; Pinardi et al 2021), even though N. lutea is considered a top competitor species (Temmink et al 2021). Indeed, nymphaeids also include invasive species that are detrimental to ecosystem functioning and practical human utility (Darbyshire & Francis 2008).…”