Journal Article

Reproductive Allocation in Three Macrophyte Species from Different Lakes with Variable Eutrophic Conditions

Xian, Ling, Han, Qingxiang, Pan, Xiaojie, Li, Wei, Wan, Tao, Cao, Yu, Andrew, Apudo A., Liu, Fan

2016

Overview

Reproductive allocation is a key process in the plant life cycle and aquatic plants exhibit great diversity in their reproductive systems. In the present study, we conduct a field investigation of three aquatic macrophytes: Stuckenia pectinata, Myriophyllum spicatum, and Potamogeton perfoliatus. Our results showed that widespread species, including S. pectinata and M. spicatum had greater plasticity in their allocation patterns in the form of increased sexual and asexual reproduction, and greater potential to set seeds and increase fitness in more eutrophic environments. P. perfoliatus also exhibited a capacity to adopt varied sexual reproductive strategies such as setting more offspring for the future, although only in clear conditions with low nutrient levels. Our results establish strategies and mechanisms of some species for tolerating and surviving in varied eutrophic lake conditions.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Adaptation / Aquatic ecosystems / Aquatic Organisms / Aquatic plants / Asexual reproduction / Biology and Life Sciences / Botany / Earth Sciences / Ecology / Ecology and Environmental Sciences / Eutrophic environments / Eutrophic lakes / Eutrophication / Evolution / Field investigations / Fitness / Freshwater / Laboratories / Lakes / Life cycle engineering / Life cycles / Macrophytes / Magnoliopsida - physiology / Myriophyllum spicatum / Offspring / Physiology / Plant diversity / Plant sciences / Potamogeton perfoliatus / Potamogetonaceae - physiology / Reproduction / Reproduction (biology) / Reproductive system / Scholarly publishing / Seeds / Species / Stuckenia pectinata / Watersheds