Author(s): Ruihua Liu; Qiuwen Chen
Linked Author(s): Qiuwen Chen
Keywords: Quatic plant; Biotic factor; Light; Spirogyra; Submerged community
Abstract: The existence of phytoplankton can greatly reduce the amount of light to reach submerged plants and subsequently reduce their growth. Spirogyra (Spirogyra arcta) coexists with many submerged macrophytes, but no study is conducted to exam the effects of spirogyra distributions on the growth of submerged plants or the structure of submerged plants community. In this research, control experiments that grow 4 species of submerged plants in three treatments of spirogyra cover (100% spirogyra cover, 50% spirogyra cover and 0% spirogyra cover) are carried out. The results showed that the increasing spirogyra cover significantly decreased total biomass, total number of nodes and total shoot length of the submerged macrophyte H. verticillata, E. densa and C. vulgaris, but did not affect the growth of C. demersum. The results suggest that C. demersum can tolerate shading from spirogyra, leading to an advantageous position in the light-shortage condition, while C. vulgaris has competitiveness in adequate light condition.
Year: 2013