Biomass and distribution of underground parts of Potamogeton perfoliatus L. and P. Lucens L. in Mikołajskie Lake, Poland

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The rhizomes of Potamogeton lucens penetrate the lake bottom to a maximum depth of 20 cm (on average to a depth of 9 cm), thus exceeding the average depth of penetration by rhizomes of Potamogeton perfoliatus by a factor of 1.5–4.5. The contribution of the biomass of underground parts to the biomass of the whole plant is on average 49% for P. lucens and 39% for P. perfoliatus, independent of the structure of the lake bottom. There is a positive correlation between the biomass of underground and above-ground parts. Field experiments show a similar rate of increments and losses in rhizome biomass of both species of pond weed.