Functional macrophyte trait variation as a response to the source of inorganic carbon acquisition

This study aims to compare variation in a range of aquatic macrophyte species leaf traits into three carbon acquisition groups: HCO , free CO and atmospheric CO . The leaf functional traits were measured for 30 species from 30 softwater lakes. Macrophyte species were classified into (1) free CO , (2...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) CA), 2021-12, Vol.9, p.e12584, Article e12584
Main Authors: Chmara, Rafał, Pronin, Eugeniusz, Szmeja, Józef
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Aquatic plants
Bicarbonates
Biodiversity
Carbon acquisition strategy
Carbon dioxide
Ecology
Flowers & plants
Freshwater Biology
Inorganic carbon
Lakes
Leaf area
Leaf circularity
Leaf economic spectrum
Leaves
Macrophytes
Morphology
Mosses
Open source software
Phosphorus
Photosynthesis
Physiology
Plant Science
Sediments
Softwater lakes
Species
Taxonomy
Variation
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Summary:This study aims to compare variation in a range of aquatic macrophyte species leaf traits into three carbon acquisition groups: HCO , free CO and atmospheric CO . The leaf functional traits were measured for 30 species from 30 softwater lakes. Macrophyte species were classified into (1) free CO , (2) atmospheric CO and (3) bicarbonate HCO groups. In each lake we collected water samples and measured eight environmental variables: depth, Secchi depth, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), pH of water, conductivity, calcium concentration, total nitrogen and total phosphorus. In this study we applied the RLQ analysis to investigate the relationships between species functional traits (Q) and their relationship with environmental variables (R) constrained by species abundance (L). The results showed that: (1) Aquatic macrophytes exhibited high leaf trait variations as a response to different inorganic carbon acquisition; (2) Traits of leaves refer to the acquisition of carbon for photosynthesis and serve to maximise this process; (3) In the wide softwater habitat, macrophyte species exhibited an extreme range of leaf economic spectrum (leaf area, leaf dry weight and specific leaf area) and wide range of shape trait expressed as circularity; (4) Macrophyte leaf traits are the result of adaptation to carbon acquisition in ambient environment.
ISSN:2167-8359
2167-8359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.12584