草鱼对不同种类沉水植物的摄食研究

文章研究了草鱼对轮叶黑藻、苦草、菹草、金鱼藻和穗花狐尾藻等不同种类沉水植物的摄食作用, 探讨了不同规格(35, 45, 55, 65, 75 和85 g)和密度(1.20, 2.40, 3.60 和4.80 g/L)的草鱼对沉水植物的摄食选择性及摄食率。结果表明: 草鱼对沉水植物摄食优先选择次序为: 轮叶黑藻 苦草 菹草 金鱼藻 穗花狐尾藻;对不同规格的草鱼而言, 在有轮叶黑藻的情况下, 草鱼会对轮叶黑藻优先摄食, 且摄食率大于苦草、穗花狐尾藻和金鱼藻, 同时小规格草鱼的日均摄食率大于大规格草鱼;对不同放养密度的草鱼而言, 在有轮叶黑藻的情况下, 草鱼对食物的摄食竞争作用明显, 当水质恶化时, 草鱼的摄食率随着密度的增大而减小。       

5种沉水植物无性繁殖和定居能力的比较研究

 竹叶眼子菜(Potamogeton malaianus)、微齿眼子菜(Potamogeton maackianus)、苦草(Vallisneria spiralis)、穗花狐尾藻(Myriophyllum spicatum)、黑藻(Hydrilla verticillata)是长江中下游湖泊主要的沉水植物。在栽培条件下,它们的无性繁殖速率(单位时间内新增个体数)大小顺序为黑藻>微齿眼子菜>竹叶眼子菜>苦草>穗花狐尾藻。同时采用抛掷实验的方法观察研究了这5种沉水植物及其无性繁殖体的存活和生根情况;完整植株存活率为黑藻>穗花狐尾藻>微齿眼子菜>竹叶眼子菜>苦草,无性繁殖体部分存活率为黑藻>苦草>穗花狐尾藻>微齿眼子菜>竹叶眼子菜。生根能力和其存活时间长短相关,而且生根能力与存活率大小基本一致。在实验中,只有穗花狐尾藻的断枝存活率和生根能力存在差异,故无性繁殖体生根能力为黑藻>苦草>微齿眼子菜>竹叶眼子菜>穗花狐尾藻。     

铵态氮和浮游植物对穗花狐尾藻的生理影响

为探讨铵态氮-浮游植物-沉水植物三者之间关系,在滇池岸边开展室外模拟实验。在初始叶绿素a为100μg·L~(-1)的浮游植物密度下,研究不同浓度(0、0.05、0.15、0.50、1.50、5.00 mg·L~(-1))铵态氮和浮游植物对穗花狐尾藻的生长和生理状况的影响。结果表明:各处理组穗花狐尾藻的各项生长和生理指标在实验期间存在明显差异;当铵态氮浓度为1.50mg·L~(-1)时,穗花狐尾藻的株高和生物量明显大于其他处理组;穗花狐尾藻叶片的总叶绿素含量、光合活性和可溶性蛋白在铵态氮浓度为1.50 mg·L~(-1)时,实验期间能维持原来的水平,其余铵态氮浓度下,呈现下降的趋势;在铵态氮与浮游植物的复合作用下,适宜穗花狐尾藻生长的铵态氮浓度为1.50 mg·L~(-1),高浓度的铵态氮(5.00 mg·L~(-1))和氮缺乏(NH4+-N≤0.50 mg·L~(-1))都不利于穗花狐尾藻的生长;铵态氮浓度达到5.00 mg·L~(-1)时,浮游植物大量生长带来的相关效应,如水体浊度上升,水下光强降低等,导致穗花狐尾藻耐受铵态氮的阈值较单一铵态氮胁迫下的耐受阈值低,此时,沉水植物对藻类的抑制效应也将解除,水华大量发生,叶绿素a的浓度可达(948.1±313.0)μg·L~(-1)。     

春季不同程度低水位对四种沉水植物生理的影响

为了解不同沉水植物对春季低水位的生理响应, 在2014年春季开展为期3个月的控制实验, 研究不同程度的春季低水位, 包括极低水位(水深18 cm)、较低水位(36 cm)和低水位(54 cm)对3种乡土沉水植物微齿眼子菜、穗花狐尾藻和菹草的最大光化学量子产量(Fv/Fm)、总叶绿素含量和可溶性糖含量的影响, 并与外来种伊乐藻作对比。结果显示, 随着水位的降低, 微齿眼子菜、菹草和伊乐藻Fv/Fm显著升高, 而穗花狐尾藻的Fv/Fm无显著变化; 在3种水位下伊乐藻的Fv/Fm都明显高于其他3种植物。微齿眼子菜和菹草总叶绿素含量也随着水位降低有升高趋势, 而穗花狐尾藻和伊乐藻的总叶绿素含量随水位没有显著变化。所有水位下微齿眼子菜总叶绿素含量最高, 穗花狐尾藻最低, 菹草只在低水位下显著低于伊乐藻。微齿眼子菜、菹草和伊乐藻的可溶性糖含量随着水位的降低而下降, 穗花狐尾藻的可溶性糖含量随着水位的降低有升高趋势。在低水位和较低水位下穗花狐尾藻和菹草的可溶性糖含量分别是所有植物中的最小和最大, 但在极低水位下4种沉水植物的可溶性糖含量无明显差异。以上结果表明, 春季极低水位对微齿眼子菜、伊乐藻和菹草不产生胁迫,但对穗花狐尾藻产生了胁迫; 伊乐藻潜在光合能力强于乡土种, 在春季浅水区具备较强的入侵性。     

沉水植物分布格局对湖泊水环境N、P因子影响

利用实地调查数据模拟保安湖沉水植物分布及水环境生态因子场。应用GIS空间分析功能 ,分别空间选取四种优势沉水植物 (金鱼藻CeratophyllumdemersumL .,穗状狐尾藻MyriophyllumspicatumL .,微齿眼子菜PotamogetonmaackianusA .Benn .,及苦草VallisneriaspiralisL .)的分布水域及无沉水植物分布水域的局部生态因子场。根据得到的局部因子场特征 ,比较分析不同水生植物分布格局对水环境中N、P因子的影响。结果显示四种沉水植物的分布对水环境中N、P因子均有显著影响 ,但效果和强度有所差异。四种植物各自分布水域内的N、P因子的平均浓度分别为 ,总氮 (TN) :穗状狐尾藻 (0 .774mg·L- 1 ) >苦草 (0 .71 4mg·L- 1 ) >金鱼藻 (0 .70 1mg·L- 1 ) >微齿眼子菜(0 .695mg·L- 1 ) ;总磷 (TP)平均含量 :穗状狐尾藻 (0 .1 2 3mg·L- 1 ) >微齿眼子菜 (0 .1 1 8mg·L- 1 ) >金鱼藻 (0 .1 0 7mg·L- 1 ) >苦草 (0 .0 79mg·L- 1 )。结果同时表明金鱼藻、微齿眼子菜和苦草对水中TN含量无显著影响 ,而穗状狐尾藻则明显可以提高水中TN水平。四种沉水植物均能有效吸收水中的P ,从而降低水中的TP含量。综合比较发现 ,穗状狐尾藻分布可以加重水体的营养程度     

梁子湖水——陆交错区水生植物群落生态学研究

对梁子湖水－陆交错区中植物群落的的组成、结构、生长型和生物量进行了测定,结果表明交错区内共分布有9种植物群落：1）微齿眼子菜（Potamogeton maackianus)群落;2）狐尾藻（Myriophyllum spicatum)＋苦草（Vallis-neria natans)＋金鱼藻（Ceratophyllum denersum）群落;3）微齿眼子菜＋金鱼藻群落;4）金鱼藻＋狐尾藻＋微齿眼子菜群落;5）金鱼藻＋狐尾藻＋荇菜（Nymphyoides pettlatum)群落;6）水蓼（Polygonum hydropiper)＋菱（Trapa bipinosa）＋菰（Zizania latifolia)群落;7）菹草（Potamogeton crispus)群落;8）菰＋荇菜＋蓼群落;9）湿生植物(Helophyte）群落。主要植物群4落生物量：狐尾藻＋苦草＋金鱼藻群落2414g.m^-2。金鱼藻＋狐尾藻＋微齿眼子菜群落4379g.m^-2,微齿眼子菜＋金龟藻群落1486g.m^-2,微齿眼子菜群4落2805g.m^-2。交错区内主要植物群落生量的季节变化与群落内优势种的生长方式、人为活动的干扰以及个体生态特征密切相关。群落内优势物种的水平分布表现为均匀分布和群聚分布两种方式。     

不同功能型沉水植物对溶解氧影响及环境效应

研究选用刺苦草(Vallisneria spinulosa)、黑藻(Hydrilla verticillata)和穗花狐尾藻(Myriophyllum spicatum)分别代表底层型、冠层少根型和冠层多根型沉水植物,通过中宇宙实验,探索不同功能型沉水植物在生长过程中水柱和沉积物中溶解氧(DO)浓度及其相关指标的差异。实验结果表明:不同处理组水柱DO浓度存在显著差异,空白组水柱DO浓度显著低于植物处理组,且空白组水柱总氮(TN)和总磷(TP)浓度降低程度最少;黑藻组比叶面积、叶面积指数、净增长生物量、相对生长速率和水柱DO浓度最大,能够有效降低水柱TP和TN浓度;穗花狐尾藻组株高最高,提升水柱DO浓度显著高于刺苦草,水柱TP降低程度最大;刺苦草组比根长、单株总根长和根冠比最大,提升沉积物深度6 cm以内的DO效果最好,沉积物铁含量最高,沉积物总氮(TN)、总碳(TC)含量和间隙水总溶解性磷(TDP)浓度最低。在修复富营养湖泊过程中,可根据水和沉积物缺氧状况,合理配置底层型和冠层型沉水植物,构建释氧能力较强的群落,从沉积物表层到水柱上层均为湖泊提供充足的氧气,从而更加有利于清水态的形成。     

水体无机碳条件对常见沉水植物生长和生理的影响

为了解水华引起的水体无机碳变化对沉水植物生长的影响,对8种沉水植物:金鱼藻、穗花狐尾藻、篦齿眼子菜、光叶眼子菜、微齿眼子菜、伊乐藻、菹草和黑藻在不同无机碳浓度下的生物量、株高、叶绿素以及光合和呼吸速率进行了比较研究.结果表明8种沉水植物均能利用HCO3-作为光合无机碳源,在1.5 mmoL/L外源HCO3-浓度下能促进金鱼藻、菹草和伊乐藻的生长,提高其光合速率;在2.5 mmol/L外源HCO3-浓度下能促进狐尾藻、光叶眼子菜、黑藻、微齿眼子菜和蓖齿眼子菜的生长,提高其光合速率.在CO32-为优势碳源时,8种沉水植物表现出不同的适应性,发现微齿眼子菜、篦齿眼子菜和黑藻在整个实验范围内生长未受抑制,且在不同浓度下表现生长和光合速率的促进,说明这三种沉水植物对[HCO3-]/[CO32-]比值和pH具有较广适应范围.而当CO32-成为优势碳源时,金鱼藻和伊乐藻的生长受到抑制,狐尾藻、菹草和光叶眼子菜均死亡,表明[HCO3-]/[CO32-]比值和pH是这5种沉水植物生长的重要限制因子.     

不同光照强度下物种组合对沉水植物苦草种间关系的影响

为了解种间关系对沉水植物群落结构的影响，在不同光照(20%自然光和50%自然光)和不同物种组合下，研究了长江中下游常见优势沉水植物苦草(Vallisneria natans)与黑藻(Hydrilla verticillata)和穗状狐尾藻(Myriophyllum spicatum)的相互作用。结果表明，在低光下，苦草与穗状狐尾藻混种时，苦草生物量、株高和叶数均没有明显变化，当穗状狐尾藻的比例较高时，苦草根长生长受到抑制，根叶比呈下降趋势；在高光下，穗状狐尾藻比例的增加会促进苦草单株生物量和叶生物量的增加，而对苦草株高、根长和叶数无显著影响；与黑藻混种相比，苦草与穗状狐尾藻混种时，苦草的株高、根长和叶数均无显著差异，而苦草的单株生物量和叶生物量均呈降低趋势。因此，物种组合和混种比例均会影响苦草与其他物种的相互作用关系，进而影响沉水植被的群落动态。     

梁子湖六种沉水植物种群数量和生物量周年动态

研究了梁子湖子湖之一满江湖的六种沉水植物种群数量和生物量在1997.3-1998.3的月动态。结果表明:满江湖沉水植物群落中,优势种为黄丝草、金鱼藻和穗状狐尾藻;六种沉水植物种群最大密度、最大单位面积生物量出现的月份各不相同,但两者变化的趋势一致。黄丝草、穗状狐尾藻种群为增长型种群,金鱼藻、苦草、黑藻种群稳定发展,菹草种群有衰退的趋势。沉水植物群落的最大生物量达到4676g/m2(鲜重,10月),总水草的最大密度为1865枝/m2(11月).根据1997年3-12月植物生长期内的数据,拟合出了六种沉水植物和总水草的生长模型方程。       

Effects of eutrophication and snails on Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) invasion

Exotic species can invade and establish new habitats both as a result of their own traits, and as a result of the characteristics of the environment they invade. Here, we show that the abundance of the invasive submerged aquatic plant, Myriophyllum spicatum (Eurasian watermilfoil) is highly dependent on the conditions of the environment in a mesocosm experiment. M. spicatum is allelopathic towards epiphytic algae, and in the absence of algivorous snails, we found that the abundance of both algae and M. spicatum significantly increased with experimentally increased nutrient loading, while the abundance of native submerged macrophytes declined. However, when snails were present, snail biomass increased with increasing nutrient loading, and M. spicatum biomass was consistently low while native submerged macrophyte biomass was consistently high. Our results stress the importance of the interaction between species traits and environmental conditions when considering the invasiveness of certain exotic species and the invasibility of certain environments.     

ALLELOPATHIC GROWTH INHIBITION OF SELECTED PHYTOPLANKTON SPECIES BY SUBMERGED MACROPHYTES1

Allelopathic effects of submerged macrophytes on the growth and photosynthesis of different unialgal cultures of planktonic cyanobacteria, a diatom, and a green alga were tested in coexistence experiments using dialysis cultures. The method applied allowed measurements under conditions similar to that in lakes but without nutrient and light limitation. Growth and photosynthesis were measured with a pulse amplitude modulated fluorometer as an increase of chl a fluorescence and activity of PSII, respectively. Eurasian water milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum L. and rigid hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum L. proved to inhibit the PSII activity and then growth of the investigated phytoplankton species, whereas sago pondweed Potamogeton pectinatus L. showed no effect. Growth inhibition was dependent on biomass of M. spicatum. Considerable differences between phytoplankton groups and among species of cyanobacteria were found regarding their response to M. spicatum. Members of the Oscillatoriales and Microcystis aeruginosa Kütz. emend. Elenkin were more sensitive than the cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon flos‐aquae Ralfs ex Born. et Flah., the diatom Stephanodiscus minutulus (Kütz) Cleve et Möller, and the green alga Scenedesmus armatus Chodat. A possible contribution of this result to changes in the phytoplankton succession of lakes after loss of macrophytes is discussed.     

Biological control of phytoplankton by the subtropical submerged macrophytes Egeria densa and Potamogeton illinoensis: a mesocosm study

1. In temperate regions, submerged macrophytes can hamper phytoplankton blooms. Such an effect could arise directly, for instance via allelopathy, or indirectly, via competition for nutrients or the positive interaction between submerged macrophytes and zooplankton grazing. However, there is some evidence that the positive interaction between submerged macrophytes and zooplankton grazing is less marked in warmer regions, where the interaction is less well studied, and that negative effects of higher water plants on phytoplankton biomass are weaker. 2. We carried out two consecutive mesocosm experiments in Uruguay (subtropical South America) to study the effects of two common submerged macrophytes from this region (Egeria densa and Potamogeton illinoensis) on phytoplankton biomass, in the absence of zooplankton grazing. We compared phytoplankton development between different macrophyte treatments (no macrophytes, artificial macrophytes, real Egeria and real Potamogeton). We used artificial macrophytes to differentiate between physical effects (i.e. shading, sedimentation and competition with periphyton) and biological effects (i.e. nutrient competition and allelopathy). 3. In Experiment 1, we found no evidence for physical effects of macrophytes on phytoplankton biomass, but both macrophyte species seemed to exert strong biological effects on phytoplankton biomass. Only Egeria affected phytoplankton community structure, particularly tempering the dominance of Scenedesmus. Nutrient addition assays revealed that only Egeria suppressed phytoplankton through nutrient competition. 4. We performed a second mesocosm experiment with the same design, but applying saturating nutrient conditions as a way of excluding the effects of competition for nutrients. This experiment showed that both macrophytes were still able to suppress phytoplankton through biological mechanisms, providing evidence for allelopathic effects. Our results indicate that both common macrophytes are able to keep phytoplankton biomass low, even in the absence of zooplankton grazing.     

Allelopathic inhibition of epiphytes by submerged macrophytes

The hypothesis that epiphytes are more vulnerable to allelochemicals released by submerged macrophytes than phytoplankton was tested by measuring growth and photosystem (PS) II activity of three common epiphytic algae and cyanobacteria in coexistence with Myriophyllum spicatum using dialysis tubes. Results were compared with earlier experiments on planktonic species. Contrary to the planktonic species, the tested epiphytes, the green algae Stigeoclonium tenue, the diatom Gomphonema parvulum and the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria limosa, were not significantly inhibited by M. spicatum. Growth and PS II activity of O. limosa were even significantly enhanced by M. spicatum, but this effect disappeared under phosphorus-deficiency due to the allelopathically induced inhibition of the alkaline phosphatase activity or phosphorus leakage by the macrophytes. My findings of a lower vulnerability of epiphytes against allelopathic substances of submerged macrophytes are supported by results of a literature survey.     

Adaptation of submerged macrophytes to both water depth and flood intensity as revealed by their mechanical resistance

Little is known about the mechanical resistance response of submerged macrophytes to floods. An experiment was conducted to investigate the plant growth, root anchorage strength, and stem tensile properties of five submerged macrophytes under three initial water levels (1.0, 2.5, and 4.0 m) with four water level fluctuation speeds (0, 5, 15, and 25 cm d⁻¹). Our results demonstrate that the biomass, relative growth rate, root anchorage strength, and stem tensile properties of the five species decreased with increasing initial water level, suggesting that deep water can inhibit plant growth and decrease their mechanical resistance. Floods weakened the stem tensile properties and strengthened the root performances of Myriophyllum spicatum, Hydrilla verticillata, and Potamogeton malaianus in shallow water. However, floods induced opposite mechanical resistance responses from plants in deep water, indicating a possible trade-off between stem breakage and uprooting under flooding conditions. M. spicatum, Ceratophyllum demersum, and P. malaianus were more tolerant of deep water and flood intensity than Potamogeton maackianus and H. verticillata, as indicated by their larger biomass, plant heights, stem tensile properties, and root anchorage strength. This is the first article that mechanically explains the competitive capability and survival potential of submerged macrophytes to water depth and flood intensity.     

The response of periphyton and submerged macrophytes to nitrogen and phosphorus loading in shallow warm lakes: a mesocosm experiment

1. Recent experimental and field studies on temperate shallow lakes indicate that nitrogen may play a greater role in their functioning than previously thought. Several studies document that abundance and richness of submerged macrophytes, both central in shallow lake ecology, may decrease with increasing nitrogen loading, especially at high phosphorus levels. However, the role of nitrogen in warm lakes with fluctuating water regimes remains to be described in detail. 2. The effect of increasing nitrate and phosphate concentrations on submerged macrophyte growth was examined in a 3‐month mesocosm experiment conducted in summer in a shallow freshwater lake on the north western coast of Turkey with a Mediterranean climate. Twenty four field mesocosms, open to the sediment and atmosphere, were stocked with Myriophyllum spicatum shoots and small cyprinid fish. Three nitrate loadings in combination with two phosphate loadings were applied in a fourfold replicated design. 3. Mean ± SD nutrient concentrations maintained throughout the experiment were 0.55 ± 0.17, 2.2 ± 0.97, 9.2 ± 5.45 mg L^?1 total nitrogen and 55 ± 19.2, 73 ± 22.9 μg L^?1 total phosphorus. Mean periphyton biomass increased with increasing nutrient concentrations and peaked at the highest nitrogen and phosphorus loadings, while the mean phytoplankton biomass remained relatively low in all treatments. 4. Percent volume inhabited (% PVI) by macrophytes throughout the experiment and total macrophyte biomass at the end of the experiment did not differ among treatments. In addition to stocked M. spicatum, Ceratophyllum demersum and Potamogeton crispus appeared in the majority of the mesocosms. The plants grew continuously up to 50% PVI throughout the experiment and remained resilient to shading provided by periphyton and phytoplankton. 5. The mean summer air temperature in 2007 was 2.2 °C higher than the average of the last 32 years, which resulted in a water level decrease of 0.3 m in the mesocosms over three months. This might have counteracted the shading of submerged macrophytes provided by phytoplankton and periphyton. The results of the experiment are consistent with observations of higher macrophyte resilience to nutrient loading in Mediterranean lakes compared with northern temperate lakes.     

Impacts of sediment type on the performance and composition of submerged macrophyte communities

To restore deteriorated lake ecosystems, it is important to identify environmental factors that influence submerged macrophyte communities. While sediment is a critical environmental factor for submerged macrophytes and many studies have examined effects of sediment type on the growth of individual submerged macrophytes, very few have tested how sediment type affects the growth and species composition of submerged macrophyte communities. We constructed submerged macrophyte communities containing four co-occurring submerged macrophytes (Hydrilla verticillata, Myriophyllum spicatum, Ceratophyllum demersum and Chara fragilis) and subjected them to three sediment treatments, i.e., clay, a mixture of clay and quartz sand at a volume ratio of 1:1 and a mixture at a volume ratio of 1:4. Compared to the clay, the 1:1 mixture treatment greatly increased overall biomass, number of shoot nodes and shoot length of the community, but decreased its diversity. This was because it substantially promoted the growth of H. verticillata within the community, making it the most abundant species in the mixture sediment, but decreased that of M. spicatum and C. demersum. The sediment type had no significant effects on the growth of C. fragilis. As a primary nutrient source for plant growth, sediment type can have differential effects on various submerged macrophyte species and 1:1 mixture treatment could enhance the performance of the communities, increasing the overall biomass, number of shoot nodes and shoot length by 39.03%, 150.13% and 9.94%, respectively, compared to the clay treatment. Thus, measures should be taken to mediate the sediment condition to restore submerged macrophyte communities with different dominant species.     

The influence of plant-associated filter feeders on phytoplankton biomass: a mesocosm study

Low phytoplankton biomass usually occurs in the presence of submerged macrophytes, possibly because submerged macrophytes enhance top-down control of phytoplankton by offering a refuge for efficient grazers like Daphnia against fish predation. However, other field studies also suggest that submerged macrophytes suppress phytoplankton in the absence of Daphnia. In order to investigate these mechanisms further, we conducted an outdoor mesocosm experiment to study the effect of submerged macrophytes (Elodea nuttallii) on phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass. The experiment combined four nutrient addition levels (0, 10, 100, and 1000 μg P l⁻¹; N/P ratio: 16) with three macrophyte levels (no macrophytes, artificial macrophytes, and real macrophytes). We inoculated the tanks with species-rich inocula of phytoplankton and zooplankton but excluded fish or macro-invertebrates. Probably due to the lack of predators in the mesocosms, potential grazing rates of pelagic zooplankton (estimated from zooplankton biomass) did not differ between the macrophyte treatment combinations. Compared to the treatment combinations without macrophytes, lower phytoplankton biomass occurred in the treatment combinations with real macrophytes at all the nutrient addition levels and in those with artificial macrophytes at all the nutrient levels except the highest. Significantly, higher abundances of plant-associated filter feeders (Simocephalus vetulus and Ceriodaphnia spp.) occurred in the treatment combinations with real and artificial macrophytes. The estimated potential grazing rate of these plant-associated filter feeders indicated that these filter feeders could be responsible for the lower phytoplankton biomass in the presence of real and artificial macrophytes. Our results suggest that the plant-associated filter feeders may be significant grazers in vegetated shallow lakes.     

Diversity and composition of bacterial community in the rhizosphere sediments of submerged macrophytes revealed by 454 pyrosequencing

Freshwater lake sediments support a variety of submerged macrophytes that may host groups of bacteria exerting important ecological functions. We collected three kinds of commonly found submerged macrophyte species (Ceratophyllum demersum, Vallisneria spiralis and Elodea nuttallii) to investigate the bacterial community associated with their rhizosphere sediments. High-throughput 454 pyrosequencing and bioinformatics analyses were performed to examine the diversity and composition of the bacterial community. The results obtained indicated that the diversity of the bacterial community associated with the rhizosphere sediments of submerged macrophytes was significantly lower than that of the bulk sediment. Remarkable differences in the bacterial community composition between the rhizosphere and bulk sediments were also observed.     

Physiological integration helps a clonal macrophyte spread into competitive environments and coexist with other species

Physiological integration may help clonal macrophytes invade or escape from existing communities. No studies have tested the above hypothesis in aquatic plants. In an outdoor pond experiment, we subjected clonal fragments of the submerged macrophyte Vallisneria spiralis L. to heterogeneous environments in which V. spiralis spread from bare habitats towards vegetated habitats occupied by Myriophyllum spicatum L. or V. spiralis spread from vegetated habitats towards bare habitats. V. spiralis stolons between ramets in bare habitats and in vegetated habitats were either intact or severed. We investigated the habitat selection of V. spiralis by examining the allocation of biomass and ramets to heterogeneous habitats during its vegetative spread phase. Results showed that the stolon connection had different effects on the habitat selection of V. spiralis with regard to invasion and escape. When V. spiralis spread from bare to vegetated habitats, in comparison to severing the stolon, the stolon connection eventually facilitated a 49% increase in biomass and a 27% increase in number of ramets allocated to vegetated habitats. However, when V. spiralis spread from vegetated to bare habitats, biomass and ramets allocated to bare habitats were not significantly changed by the stolon connection (only a 5% increase in biomass and a 6% increase in number of ramets). These results indicate that clonal integration facilitated V. spiralis not to escape from but invade into vegetated habitats. The study provides evidence that physiological integration is important for survival and tolerance of ramets in competitively stressful environments and can help clonal macrophytes coexist with other species.