National Laboratory for Water Science and Water Security, Balaton Limnological Research Institute, Tihany, 8237, Hungary.
Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 1;14(1):5100. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-55824-w.
The influence of macrophytes on the optical environment of the littoral zone was assessed by studying the effect of monospecific Potamogeton perfoliatus on the quantitative and qualitative properties of light and the response of plants to this altered environment. P. perfoliatus was shown to alter the optical environment and consequently its own architecture: in high-density pondweed patches, 67 percent of incident light was absorbed in the top 10 cm, while spectral properties of light was significantly altered. Leaf morphology and photophysiology adapted to these changes, with photosynthetically active biomass concentrated in the upper water layer and stem biomass increasing in the basal parts due to self-shading. This study highlights the importance of submerged macrophytes in shaping the optical environment and ecological dynamics of littoral zones. Not only do pondweed plants from different sites show very similar vertical patterns of morphological and physiological parameters, but they also contribute to similar vertical spatial variability in water optics, thus increasing habitat complexity. This added optical heterogeneity not only increases the diversity of the littoral zone, but also enriches the entire aquatic ecosystem of shallow lakes by providing additional optical ecological niches.
本研究通过探讨菹草（Potamogeton perfoliatus）对光质和光量子通量密度的影响，评估了水生植物对潮间带光环境的影响及其对植物自身的反馈。菹草改变了光环境，从而改变了自身的形态结构：在高密度菹草斑块中，有 67%的入射光被上层 10cm 所吸收，同时光质也发生了显著变化。叶片形态和光生理适应了这些变化，具有光合活性的生物量集中在上层水域，而茎生物量由于自遮蔽作用在基部增加。本研究强调了沉水植物在塑造潮间带光环境和生态动态方面的重要性。不同地点的菹草植物不仅表现出非常相似的垂直形态和生理参数模式，而且对水光学的垂直空间变异性也有相似的贡献，从而增加了栖息地的复杂性。这种额外的光学异质性不仅增加了潮间带的多样性，还通过提供额外的光学生态位丰富了浅水湖泊的整个水生生态系统。
