The role of macrophytes in wetland ecosystems

Abstract

Aquatic macrophytes, often also called hydrophytes, are key components of aquatic and wetland ecosystems. This review is to briefly summarizes various macrophyte classifications, and covers numerous aspects of macrophytes' role in wetland ecosystems, namely in nutrient cycling. The most widely accepted macrophyte classification differentiates between freely floating macrophytes and those attached to the substrate, with the attached, or rooted macrophytes further divided into three categories: floating-leaved, submerged and emergent. Biogeochemical processes in the water column and sediments are to a large extent influenced by the type of macrophytes. Macrophytes vary in their biomass production, capability to recycle nutrients, and impacts on the rhizosphere by release of oxygen and organic carbon, as well as their capability to serve as a conduit for methane. With increasing eutrophication, the species diversity of wetland macrophytes generally declines, and the speciose communities are being replaced by monoculture-forming strong competitors. A similar situation often happens with invasive species. The roles of macrophytes and sediment microorganisms in wetland ecosystems are closely connected and should be studied simultaneously rather than in isolation.

Characteristics of Bacterial Communities in Cyanobacteria-Blooming Aquaculture Wastewater Influenced by the Phytoremediation with Water Hyacinth

“…Wetland rhizospheres have been extensively studied with respect to microorganism communities [29]. It has been shown that the root exudates from different plants could direct the different development of microbial communities [30].…”

Effects of water level and soil type on the survival and growth of Persicaria thunbergii during early growth stages

“…P. thunbergii is occasionally problematic in constructed wetlands (Kim et al, 2011;Choe et al, 2010). Wetlands are especially vulnerable to plant invasion due to frequent disturbance and high nutrient levels (Rejmankova, 2011), and P. thunbergii can become the dominant species in constructed wetlands. However, there have been few ecological studies on P. thunbergii, and the lack of data makes it difficult to understand its ecological characteristics and manage its prevalence in wetlands.…”

Relationship between early development of plant community and environmental condition in abandoned paddy terraces at mountainous valleys in Korea

“…Apart from those, other important factors of the plant composition in wetlands include fertility, salinity, competitiveness between plants and herbivores (Keddy 2000). Soil fertility is also a determinant of plant community and diversity in wetlands (Weiher and Keddy 1995) because wetland soils are both the medium in which many of the wetland chemical transformations take place and the primary storage of available chemicals for most wetland plants (Mitsch and Gosselink 2007), so that nutrient enrichment could increase growth of invasive species (Green and Galatowitsch 2002, Kercher and Zedler 2004, Rickey and Anderson 2004, Rejmankova 2011) and these environmental conditions could lead a different stage of succession.…”