Photosynthetic Performance of Marestail (<i>Hippuris vulgaris</i> Linn.) across a Water Temperature Gradient

Abstract

we examined the photosynthetic responses of submerged marestail in three lakes using pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry. Three lakes were studied across a gradient of water temperature, with low water temperature conditions in Grass Lake and Arrow Bamboo Lake, and higher water temperature in Five Colored Lake. In the field, electron transport rates (ETRmax) were measured as rapid light curves (RLCs) by in situ yield measurements. Submerged marestail showed higher photosynthetic activity in Five Colored Lake compared to the other lakes, a response consistent with the adaptation of marestail in Five Colored Lake to high water temperature. The optimal temperature for photosynthesis of submerged marestail in Jiuzhaigou is about 12 °C. These results indicate that in different lakes the function of these aquatic plants is associated with a diversity of place-dependent environmental conditions, especially water temperature that leads to pronounced differences in the plant’s ecophysiological reactions.