title: Colonization by fragments of the submerged macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum under different sediment type and density conditions.
abstract: In this paper, the effect of plant density, sediment type, and macrophyte fragment size on the fragment colonization ability of Myriophyllum spicatum was evaluated in an outdoor experiment. The relative growth rate (RGR) was higher in the mud and low-density treatments than in the sand and high-density treatments. The relative elongation rate (RER) decreased with increasing density and fragment size, with RER values being much higher in the mud than the sand treatments. Both branching number and shoot diameter increased with decreasing density and increasing fragment size, and were significantly higher in the mud than the sand treatments. The shoot : root ratio was higher in the mud treatments than in the sand treatments. Total N content in both the shoot and root was significantly higher in the mud and low-density treatments than in the sand and high-density treatments. Shoot P content only decreased with increasing density, while root P content was higher in the mud and low-density treatments than in the sand and high-density treatments. These data indicate that fragment colonization by M. spicatum is improved by large fragments, low density, and nutrient-rich sediments, and that these conditions contribute to the rapid population expansion of this species.
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China [2] Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha 410125, China [3] Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Guangxi Normal University, Ministry of Education, 541004, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China [2] Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha 410125, China.
authors.forename: Lianlian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China [2] Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha 410125, China.
authors.forename: Yonghong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China [2] Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha 410125, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China [2] Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha 410125, China.
authors.forename: Xinsheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China [2] Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha 410125, China.
authors.forename: Zhengmiao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan 410125, China [2] Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Changsha 410125, China.
authors.forename: Baihan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000254:growth & development*; D058865:Introduced Species; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000254:growth & development*; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000254:growth & development*; D012098:Reproduction; D027343:Rhizome / Q000254:growth & development; D012639:Seeds / Q000254:growth & development