Work

Vegetative and Reproductive Allocation in an Aquatic Macrophyte: The Effects of Light, Nutrients, and Epiphytic Heterocytous Cyanobacteria

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The study evaluated the vegetative growth and reproductive strategies of the macrophyte Pistia stratiotes under varying nutrient (carbon and nitrogen) and light (full sun and 70% shade) conditions, as well as its epiphytic association with heterocytous cyanobacteria. Plants were collected from a reservoir, transferred to a greenhouse, and subjected to six treatments, with sampling every 15 days. Clonal growth was higher in nitrogen-supplemented treatments, while flowering was more pronounced in carbon-supplemented treatments. Heterocyte production by epiphytic cyanobacteria on roots positively correlated with P. stratiotes total biomass, suggesting the macrophyte utilizes nitrogen fixed by periphytic cyanobacteria. The results highlight the importance of nitrogen and carbon for growth and reproduction, with distinct resource allocation for rosettes (nitrogen) and flowers (carbon). The P. stratiotes-cyanobacteria association may enhance macrophyte population expansion, underscoring the ecological role of these microorganisms.

Source: Limnological Review

DOI: 10.3390/limnolrev25020022

Authors: Michel Biondi, Larissa Langsdorff Pimenta, Gabriela Costa Rodrigues, Gustavo Pereira Lima, Marcelo Gomes Marçal Vieira Vaz, Flávia de Freitas Coelho

Institution: Universidade Federal de Lavras

Language: English

Topic: Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics

Subfield: Environmental Chemistry

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,207