Abstract
New experimental evidence from controlledglasshouse studies was used to testprevious empirical field observations aboutthe interactions of hydrological dynamicswith individual plant species in wetlandhabitats. Manipulation of water levels, andthe presence/ absence of competitorspecies, produced significant morphologicalresponses (e.g. resource allocation toabove- and below-ground structures; plantheight; leaf size; tiller production) inmature individuals of five freshwaterwetland plant species characteristic ofBritish northern poor-fen habitats. Theseresponses provide evidence for potentialadvantages in survival and ability tospread vegetatively. The data also providenew insight into factors controlling thedistribution of wetland plants alonggradients of water table level, in thepresence or absence of competing species.Although there were variations betweenspecies, the effects of competition were,in general, less than those attributable tohydrological regime.
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Kennedy, M.P., Milne, J.M. & Murphy, K.J. Experimental growth responses to groundwater level variation and competition in five British wetland plant species. Wetlands Ecology and Management 11, 383–396 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WETL.0000007194.01073.6b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WETL.0000007194.01073.6b