Flowering of Lemnaceae S.F. Gray in Siberia: Bioecological Characteristics

• Published in: Inland water biology 2021-03, Vol.14 (2), p.177-187
• Main Authors: Kapitonova, O. A., Nikolaenko, S. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic plants; Biodiversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Distribution; Duckweed; Floating plants; Flowering; Freshwater; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Freshwater plants; Fruits; Geoecology/Natural Processes; Higher Aquatic Vegetation; Inland water environment; Lemna trisulca; Lemna turionifera; Lemnaceae; Life Sciences; Plants (botany); Reproduction; Surface water; Water depth
• ISSN: 1995-0829; 1995-0837
• DOI: 10.1134/S199508292102005X

Five species belonging to Lemnaceae family are known to grow in Siberia: Lemna gibba , L. minor , L. trisulca , L. turionifera , and Spirodela polyrhiza . Characteristics of their distribution in Siberia, bioecological characteristics, and facts of flowering and fruiting of Lemnaceae are provided in this paper. It has been shown that the generative reproduction of duckweed is not a rare phenomenon, and it is typical for all species of the family known in the region. The flowering is usually observed for L. trisulca and L. turionifera. However, some cases of flowering are known for S. polyrhiza . Almost all populations of L. gibba found in Siberia had flowering and fruiting plants. L. minor had a limited distribution in Siberia; cases of flowering are rare. The generative reproduction of duckweed is found only in freshwater bodies (0.1–0.7‰ salinity) with a water depth of 0.1–0.7 m, temperature of the surface water layer from +20 to +33°С, and pH from 5.96 to 9.30 units not obscured by tree–shrub and tall grass vegetation.