A field study of competition and interaction between Lemna minor and Lemna trisulca

Abstract

Field experiments and survey methods were used to assess competition and interaction between Lemna minor L. and Lemna trisulca L. at Delta Marsh, Manitoba. Sites were dominated by one or the other species or codominated by both. Replacement series experiments predicted codominance of L. minor and L. trisulca in an unshaded eutrophic site but predicted L. minor dominance when run for a longer time. Similar experiments conducted in a shaded eutrophic site predicted L. minor dominance. Addition series experiments showed that intraspecific and interspecific competition occurred in the unshaded site. In a eutrophic unshaded ditch, high densities of L. minor suppressed L. trisulca. In a eutrophic shaded site, high densities of L. minor and green algae inhibited L. trisulca, and in a sunny, less eutrophic site high density of each species inhibited the other. In a transplant experiment, L. minor biomass in shaded enclosures approached that found naturally in two shaded sites. Lemna trisulca persisted when shaded. Vegetative biomass trends in an unshaded eutrophic marsh ditch indicated spring and fall L. trisulca dominance and summer L. minor dominance. Shaded eutrophic sites were dominated by L. minor, whereas a less eutrophic site was dominated by L. trisulca. A model is developed to explain dominance patterns, and seasonal life-history responses are considered. Key words: Lemna, duckweed, competition, interaction, resources, light, nutrients.