Effect of clonal fragmentation on the growth of Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara at contrasting nutrient and light conditions

Clonal fragmentation (CF), caused by various disturbances, significantly affects the growth performance of plants. However, little is known about how CF affects the growth of submersed macrophytes facing light limitation and nutrient enrichment, a typically situation found in eutrophic lakes. To exa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrobiologia 2021-02, Vol.848 (4), p.903-912
Main Authors: Peng, Hui, Ge, Dabing, Yuan, Guixiang, Zou, Dongsheng, Fu, Hui, Jeppesen, Erik
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Aquatic plants
Biomass
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Chlorophyll
Chlorophylls
Ecology
Eutrophic lakes
Eutrophication
Fragmentation
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Growth
Lakes
Life Sciences
Light
Light levels
Luminous intensity
Macrophytes
Mineral nutrients
Natural lighting
Nutrient availability
Nutrient content
Nutrient enrichment
Plant biomass
Primary Research Paper
Survival
Vallisneria natans
Zoology
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Summary:Clonal fragmentation (CF), caused by various disturbances, significantly affects the growth performance of plants. However, little is known about how CF affects the growth of submersed macrophytes facing light limitation and nutrient enrichment, a typically situation found in eutrophic lakes. To examine the effects of CF on Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara, a common submersed macrophyte species in warm lakes, we combined three different light intensities (4%, 15%, and 30% natural light) with three different nutrient levels in the water and kept the stolons severed or intact. We found that CF negatively affected the growth of V. natans and that the effect strongly depended on light and nutrient levels. Our comparison between severed and intact plants showed that CF decreased the biomass accumulation under moderate-light conditions, whereas no significant difference appeared at low and high light levels. The negative effect of CF on plant biomass tended to be more significant at moderate and high nutrient levels. The total chlorophyll content decreased with CF at moderate and high nutrient levels when light availability was high. Our study adds new information about the role of CF on the survival and growth of submersed macrophytes in eutrophic lakes.
ISSN:0018-8158
1573-5117
DOI:10.1007/s10750-020-04499-1