THE INFLUENCE OF WATER REGIME ON THE PERFORMANCE OF AQUATIC PLANTS

Experimental results demonstrate how small differences in depth and wa ter regime have a significant affect on the accumulation and allocatio n of nutrients and biomass. Because the performance of aquatic plants depends on these factors, an understanding of their influence is essen tial to ensure that systems function at their full potential. The resp onses differed for two emergent species, indicating that within this m orphological category, optimal performance will fall at different loca tions across a depth or water regime gradient. The performance of one species was unaffected by growth in mixture, whereas the other perform ed better in deep water and worse in shallow.