Abstract
AbstractLive plants are increasingly used in hydraulic laboratories to investigate flow‐vegetation interactions. In such experiments, they are often exposed to stressful handling and storage that can cause strong physiological responses and modifications in plant biomechanics. Little is known about the potential effect of these impacts on the performance of plants during hydraulic experiments. In this multidisciplinary study with a freshwater macrophyte (Potamogeton natans) we assess whether the duration and the conditions in which plants are stored in a laboratory prior to testing can impact plant stress, biomechanics and hydrodynamics, and quantify this impact. Plant stress was evaluated using chlorophyll fluorescence analysis (and the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II as specific indicator). Plant hydrodynamics were assessed using the drag coefficient calculated from drag force measurements at two flow scenarios. The results show that different plant handling/storage procedures can have a significant impact on plant hydrodynamics even within a short time frame, with a variation of the mean drag coefficient of approximately 30% across groups, which is comparable to the variation found across different species of freshwater macrophytes in previous studies. Plants with the highest level of stress were also characterized by the lowest drag coefficient across the groups considered, suggesting a potential link between plant stress and hydrodynamics.
Highlights
Vegetation plays multiple roles in the ecological and physical processes of aquatic ecosystems, and many studies have investigated the interplay of vegetation and hydraulics in coastal and riverine vegetation settings
The results show that different plant handling/storage procedures can have a significant impact on plant hydrodynamics even within a short time frame, with a variation of the mean drag coefficient of approximately 30% across groups, which is comparable to the variation found across different species of freshwater macrophytes in previous studies
This paper presents a multidisciplinary study, based on laboratory experiments conducted with a freshwater macrophyte (P. natans), that assesses the effects of storage conditions typical of hydraulic laboratories on: plant stress, using chlorophyll fluorescence analysis; plant biomechanical and morphological traits, via 3-point flexural tests and morphological characterization; and plant hydrodynamic performance, using data collected during flume experiments
Summary
Vegetation plays multiple roles in the ecological and physical processes of aquatic ecosystems, and many studies have investigated the interplay of vegetation and hydraulics in coastal and riverine vegetation settings. Coastal vegetation has been extensively studied to assess the role of saltmarshes (e.g., Lara et al, 2016; Möller et al, 2014) and seagrass (e.g., Infantes et al, 2012; James et al, 2019; Lei & Nepf, 2019) in coastal protection through wave attenuation and reduction of sediment transport. Riparian vegetation has been investigated to understand its impact on river morphodynamics (e.g., Bertoldi et al, 2015; Tal & Paola, 2010) and how it contributes to flow resistance during flooding events (e.g., Aberle & Järvelä, 2013; Armanini et al, 2005; Västilä & Järvelä, 2014). The interactions between vegetation and flowing water VETTORI ET AL.
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