Ranunculus Aquatilis Research Articles

Additions and Range Extensions to the Vascular Plant Flora of the Continental Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada, II

Based on field reconnaissance since the publication of Flora of the Continental Northwest Territories in 1980, particularly in the District of Keewatin and northeastern District of Mackenzie (Nunavut) and Nahanni National Park, information is provided on geographically significant plant occurrences. One new taxon, Polemonium boreale forma albiflorum, is described, fourteen native taxa are reported as new to the region: Carex hoodii, C. microptera, C. petasata, Corispermum hookeri, C. ochotense, Danthonia spicata, Draba stenoloba, Erysisnum coarctatum, Halenia deflexa, Polygonum fowleri, P. ramosissimum, Salix rotundifolia ssp. rotundifolia, Silene uralensis ssp. ogilviensis, and Vaccinium ovalifolium. Five introduced taxa, Crepis tectorum, Corispermum villosum, Deschampsia elongata, D. incisa var. incisa, and Medicago sativa ssp. falcata are new to the flora of the region. Two native taxa, Danthonia intermedia and Potentilla porsildiorum are deleted from the flora and Ranunculus aquatilis var hispidulus is placed in synonymy. Significant range extensions for 125 native and one introduced taxon are included.

Sources of nutrients to rooted submerged macrophytes growing in a nutrient‐rich stream

1. The relative contribution of roots and leaves to nutrient uptake by submerged stream macrophytes was tested in experiments where plants were grown in an outdoor flow‐channel system. Water was supplied from a nutrient‐rich stream with inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations typical of Danish streams.2. Four submerged macrophyte species were tested, Elodea canadensis, Callitriche cophocarpa, Ranunculus aquatilis and Potamogeton crispus, and all species were able to satisfy their demand for mineral nutrients by leaf nutrient uptake alone. This was evident from manipulative experiments showing that removal of the roots had no negative impact on the relative growth rate of the plants. Further, the organic N and P concentrations of the plant tissue was constant with time for the de‐rooted plants.3. Enrichment of water and/or sediment had no effect on the relative growth rate of two species, E. canadensis and C. cophocarpa, indicating that in situ nutrient availability was sufficient to cover the needs for growth. Despite the lack of a response in growth rate, a reduced root/shoot biomass ratio was observed with nutrient enrichment of water and/or sediment, and an increased tissue‐P concentration in response to open‐water enrichment.4. The open‐water nutrient concentrations of the stream in which the experiments were performed are in the upper part of the range found for Danish farmland streams (the majority of Danish streams). Still, however, the negligible effect of nutrient enrichment on the growth of submerged macrophytes observed suggests that mineral nutrient availability might play a minor role in controlling macrophyte growth in most Danish streams.

Sorption of cadmium and their effects on growth, protein contents, and photosynthetic pigment composition of Veronica anagallis-aquatica L. and Ranunculus aquatilis L.

Sorption of cadmium and their effects on growth, protein contents, and photosynthetic pigment composition of Veronica anagallis-aquatica L. and Ranunculus aquatilis L.

Phenolic Acids and Nutrient Content for Aquatic Macrophytes from Fall River, California

We compared seasonal changes in tissue C, tissue N, C:N ratio, and total phenolic acids for five species of submersed plants from Fall River, California. Mean tissue C differed among the five species and was between 35 and 40%, except for Ranunculus aquatilis, which was 26%. Mean tissue N differed among species; Ranunculus aquatilis had the lowest mean value (2.71%) and Zannichellia palustris had the highest (3.74%). Mean C:N ratio was between 9.7 and 12.7. Among the five species examined, mean phenolic acid content was greatest for Myriophyllum sibiricum and it was nearly seven times that for the species with the lowest phenolic acid content, Elodea canadensis. Regression analysis indicated positive relationships between phenolic acid content and tissue C for two species, Callitriche hermaphroditica and Ranunculus aquatilis. Regression equations relating phenolic acid content to tissue N were not statistically significant. For Elodea canadensis, the equation describing phenolic acid content as a function of the C:N ratio had a negative slope, while the equation for Callitriche hemaphroditica, had a significant positive slope. Knowledge of the relationships between plant nutrient content and phenolic acids may lead to better understanding of aquatic plant/herbivore/microbe interactions and might result in improvements in the timing of applications of biological control agents in aquatic plant management.

Relations between K+ uptake and photosynthetic uptake of inorganic carbon by aquatic plants

The uptake of K+ by the leafy shoots of four submersed higher aquatic plants (Elodea canadensis, Ranunculus aquatilis, R. trichophyllus, and Callitriche hamulata) with different HCO3 - affinity was measured in successive 2-h periods under the conditions of high or low photosynthetic rates (i.e. at pH 7.5 or 10). At pH 7.5 the uptake of K+ by species with the higher HCO3 - affinity (E. canadensis, R. trichophyllus) was significantly faster than that by species with a lower HCO3 - affinity (R. aquatilis, C. hamulata). In the former group of species, the K+ uptake rate at pH 7.5 was 1.7 - 3.5 times higher than at pH 10. At pH 10, the soft-water species, R. aquatilis, had the lowest net photosynthetic rate (PN) of the three HCO3 - users but, in contrast to the relative hard-water species, R. trichophyllus, showed a small K+ efflux (47 nmol kg-1 s-1). Thus, K+ uptake by shoots was not strictly correlated with PN. A significant K+ efflux (73 - 86 nmol kg-1 s-1) occurred from all HCO3 - users in darkness. The relatively low K+ uptake by the strict CO2 user, C. hamulata, was quite independent of PN and light or darkness. It may be suggested that uptake of K+ by shoots of submersed plants depends on their HCO3 - affinity.

Growth, photosynthesis and acclimation by two submerged macrophytes in relation to temperature.

In this study we examine the influence of temperature on growth, photosynthetic performance and acclimation of two submerged macrophyte species, Elodea canadensis L.C. Rich and Ranunculus aquatilis (L.) Wimmer. The plants were grown at 5, 10 and 15°C and a photon flux density of 300 μmol m-2 s-1 (PAR) in a medium with an alkalinity of 0.85 meq l-1 bubbled with atmospheric air containing 400 ppm CO2. In general, growth rates of both species increased with temperature with a Q 10 varying from 2.3 to 3.5. An exception was Elodea at 5°C, where growth was nearly arrested. Temperature effects on ambient rates of net photosynthesis and photosynthetic capacity followed the pattern observed for growth. Dark respiration was not suppressed for Elodea at 5°C and both species had a Q 10 of 2.3. The light-use efficiency (αI) for photosynthesis declined with increasing growth temperature for Ranunculus. For Elodea no difference in αI was observed between 10 and 15°C; at 5°C, however, αI was reduced by about 30%. Both species acclimated to temperature as shown in a series of experiments in which the plants were exposed to a change in temperature. Acclimation was faster for shoots transferred from low to high temperature, where growth rates stabilised after a few days; for shoots transferred to low temperature growth rates still changed after 22 days. Although acclimation was evident, the changes in the metabolic apparatus were insufficient to balance effects of temperature. It is suggested that temperature may affect local distribution of the two species and their ability to grow in turbid or deep water.

Habitat partitioning in riverine macrophyte communities

1. Habitat partitioning has been extensively studied in terrestrial plant communities. By comparison, few studies have examined habitat partitioning in riverine macrophyte communities. Riverine environments are often highly heterogeneous with respect to current speed, depth, bottom sediment fertility and other biologically important properties. Thus, the potential for habitat partitioning in riverine macrophyte communities is great.2. The objective of this study was to investigate how, or if, macrophyte species are differentially distributed with respect to abiotic gradients in a large river in central British Columbia, Canada.3. A survey of macrophyte biomass and associated measures of current speed, depth and sediment texture showed that coexistence occurred both with and without habitat partitioning.4. Coexistence in the absence of habitat partitioning was depicted by Potamogeton gramineus, Potamogeton berchtoldii, Myriophyllum exalbescens, Callitriche hermaphroditica and Potamogeton pectinatus such that they had a minimum and average niche overlap (NO) of 65% and 84%, respectively, for all measured abiotic variables. Similarly, the spatial niche of E. canadensis was close to that of Ceratophyllum demersum and M. exalbescens.5. While several taxa seemed to occupy the same spatial niche, some taxa were distinguished from one another in terms of the types of microhabitats they utilized. Mosses, for example, were often the only occupants of sites having current speeds greater than 0.6 m s–1 and substrates of bare rock. Ranunculus aquatilis was most abundant at sites having current speeds between 0.4 and 0.6 m s–1 whereas most other taxa were restricted to slower waters. Habitat partitioning across depth contours, which occurred between several taxa, was most evident between P. pectinatus and C. demersum(NO = 17%), C. hermaphroditica and C. demersum (NO = 3%), C. demersum and P. richardsonii (NO = 19%) and C. hermaphroditica and E. canadensis (NO = 29%).

Growth and photosynthetic acclimation by Ranunculus aquatilis L. in response to inorganic carbon availability.

Relative growth rates of Ranunculus aquatilis L. were measured in the laboratory at dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations between 0.2 and 5.2 mM at air-equilibrium CO2 (16 μM) and also at 0.55 mm DIC with elevated CO2 (350 μM). For plants grown at air-equilibrium CO2 , growth was limited by inorganic carbon below 1.6 mM DIC and the apparent half saturation constant was 0.5 mM. The growth rate at elevated CO2 was 50% higher than the carbon saturated rates obtained at high DIC concentrations and air-equibrium CO2 , where HCO3 - is dominant. This difference is suggested to be caused by differences in uptake mechanisms for CO2 and HCO3 - Uptake of CO2 is a diffusive process, whereas HCOa - use is an active process which involves uptake/transport systems in the cell membranes. The plants acclimated to the DIC regime for growth by reductions in carboxylation efficiency and bicarbonate affinity, but enhanced photosynthetic capacity at elevated DIC. Within the range of concentrations used, the acclimation to CO2 and HCO3 - was quantitatively similar, except for the HCO3 - uptake capacity which increased at high DIC and air-equilibrium CO2 but declined at elevated CO2 . Dark respiration was unaffected by inorganic carbon per se, but increased with growth rate. Maintenance respiration was constant among treatments. It is concluded that inorganic carbon, apart from being the primary substrate for photosynthesis, has secondary growth regulatory effects which affect the photosynthetic apparatus of the plants.

The influence of substratum and water velocity on growth of Ranunculus aquatilis L. (Ranunculaceae)

This study investigated the combined influence of three different flow velocities (high, 22.6 cm s −1; medium, 11.0 cm s −1; low, below 2 cm s −1) and substrata (mud, sand and gravel) on the growth of Ranunculus aquatilis L. (measured as the ratio between the final and initial wet weight of plant shoots kept in wood boxes in the stream for 21 days). The results showed highest levels of growth in mud substrate at all velocities (1.5–3.9 times higher than in sand and gravel). Highest growth for plants in sand and gravel was observed at medium velocity. In sand, this was about 1.6–2.8 times higher than growth at low or high flows. In gravel, growth was about 1.2 times and 1.6 times higher than at low and high velocities, respectively. The experiment indicates that the substratum and water velocity have a combined influence on the growth of R. aquatilis, and that the relative importance of each depends on the interactions of the particular substrata and velocities. The specific mechanisms involved in this influence have not been determined, but it is suggested that both the nutrient content and the texture of the substratum play important roles.

Influences of aquatic macrophytes on invertebrate community structure, guild structure, and microdistribution in streams

The aquatic macrophytes Ranunculus aquatilis and Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum were transplanted into substrate trays and placed in a stream alongside unvegetated substrate. Macrophytes were observed to have significant effects on 1) invertebrate community structure, 2) guild structure, and 3) microdistribution. 1) Significantly higher taxa richness and community abundances were associated with macrophytes. 2) Significantly higher abundances of shredder, scraper, and predator guilds were associated with macrophytes in fall, and all guilds had higher abundances in macrophytes in spring. However, guild frequency distributions did not differ among habitats except in spring. 3) Enallagma, Gammarus, Gyraulus, Physa, and Pisidium exhibited a strong association with macrophytes, while Hydropsyche, Simulium, Baetis tricaudatus, Glossosoma velona, and Helicopsyche borealis appeared to avoid them. A strong correlation appeared to exist between current velocity preferences of these taxa and their selection or avoidance of vegetated habitat. Thus, the effect of macrophytes in reducing current velocities appeared to be the most important influence on invertebrate microdistribution. However, macrophytes also increase physical heterogeneity and their large surface areas benefit invertebrate community abundances by creating additional living spaces in the water column where none exist above unvegetated substrate.

Phosphoraufnahme durch Potamogeton natans und submerse Makrophyten in einem Fließgewässer‐Laboratoriumsmodell

AbstractThe germs of macrophytes were exposed in a ring channel at 0.073 m/s, 0.085 m water level and natural daylight for 52 h in tap water whose phosphorus concentration had been increased with KH2PO4 to 0.325 mg/1 P. After 4, 28 and 52 h the phosphorus concentrations in water and in dry matter were determined and the relative phosphorus elimination and incorporation, as referred to the concentrations in water and in dry matter prior to the test, were calculated in 0/0. Within 52 h the following increases of the internal phosphorus pool resulted (in %): Ranunculus aquatilis April 141, Potamogeton crispus May 178, P. natans June 139, Callitriche polymorpha June 128, Ranunculus aquatilis August 118, Elodea canadensis September 124. The phosphorus uptake behaves thus parallel to the gas‐metabolism‐physiological activity and the subsequently made differentiation into species which are active in spring, summer and autumn. Therefore, weed removals from waters should be done at the date of the species‐specific activity maximum, since the then obtained biomass with 3… 9 kg/t P in the dry matter guarantees a maximum phosphorus elimination from the water.

ON THE DETERMINATION OF LEAF FORM IN RANUNCULUS AQUATILIS

Summary Ranunculus aquatilis L. is an amphibious plant that shows a spectacular kind of heterophylly; the leaf primordia possess the genetic competence to develop three different kinds of leaf: i, the submerged divided leaf which is made up of long, cylindrical, capillary segments; 2, the terrestrial divided leaf which is made up of short, flattened, capillary segments; and 3, the entire leaf which has a normal expanded blade borne on a petiole. An account is given of the structure and development of these leaf forms. The effects of temperature, photoperiod, light intensity and emergence or submergence in water on the determination of leaf form were studied. Temperature and light intensity unless exceptionally high or low played no role in the determination of these leaf forms. It was found that the submerged divided kind of leaf was developed in terrestrial or submerged conditions under short photoperiods (10 hours or less) but under long photoperiods (14 hours or more) it developed only on submerged stems. The terrestrial divided leaf was formed only under long photoperiods in terrestrial conditions while the entire kind of leaf, which occupies the air‐water interface, was developed only under long photoperiods in submerged conditions. Photoperiod, therefore, determines the epigenetic ability of the stem apex to develop different kinds of leaf but it is the presence or absence of water per se that regulates the phenotypic expression of this epigenetic ability. The ecological and evolutionary significance of this kind of leaf form determination are discussed.

The Sycamore Maple in A.D. 1300

IN his description of the carvings of the sycamore on the shrine of St. Frideswyde in the Oxford Cathedral, Dr. Burtt Davy1 gives a list of ten species of plants that were in all probability growing in or near Oxford about A.D. 1300, when the shrine was being carved. It is only fair to note that the remarkable truth to Nature of the carvings of the fruits and leaves of this tree, and of the nine other species of plants mentioned by Dr. Davy, had already been recognised by Mr. S. A. Warner, with the addition of two more, the water crowfoot, Ranunculus aquatilis, and the hogweed, Heracleum sphondylium, to the list which, with three illustrations, is printed in my “Early Science in Oxford”, vol. 3, p. 198.

On Heterophylly in Water Plants

Previous articleNext article FreeShorter Articles and DiscussionOn Heterophylly in Water PlantsAgnes ArberAgnes Arber Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The American Naturalist Volume 53, Number 626May - Jun., 1919 Published for The American Society of Naturalists Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/279712 Views: 167Total views on this site Citations: 16Citations are reported from Crossref PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Shaoning Wang, Pengpeng Li, Zuying Liao, Wanwan Wang, Tao Chen, Liyan Yin, Hong Sheng Jiang, Wei Li Adaptation of inorganic carbon utilization strategies in submerged and floating leaves of heteroblastic plant Ottelia cordata, Environmental and Experimental Botany 196 (Apr 2022): 104818.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2022.104818Eri Soga, Jiro Sugisaka, Mikio Watanabe, Hiroshi Kudoh Population differentiation in the leaf shape and growth form of Cardamine scutata Thunb. in tidal and non‐tidal habitats, Plant Species Biology 36, no.33 (Mar 2021): 399–411.https://doi.org/10.1111/1442-1984.12325Gaojie Li, Shiqi Hu, Hongwei Hou, Seisuke Kimura Heterophylly: Phenotypic Plasticity of Leaf Shape in Aquatic and Amphibious Plants, Plants 8, no.1010 (Oct 2019): 420.https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8100420Lidan Sun, Jing Wang, Xuli Zhu, Libo Jiang, Kirk Gosik, Mengmeng Sang, Fengsuo Sun, Tangren Cheng, Qixiang Zhang, Rongling Wu HpQTL: a geometric morphometric platform to compute the genetic architecture of heterophylly, Briefings in Bioinformatics 19, no.44 (Feb 2017): 603–612.https://doi.org/10.1093/bib/bbx011Gerhard Zotz, Kerstin Wilhelm, Annette Becker Heteroblasty—A Review, The Botanical Review 77, no.22 (Feb 2011): 109–151.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-010-9062-8Pamela K. Diggle A developmental morphologist's perspective on plasticity, Evolutionary Ecology 16, no.33 (May 2002): 267–283.https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019680527788Carolyn L. Wells, Massimo Pigliucci Adaptive phenotypic plasticity: the case of heterophylly in aquatic plants, Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 3, no.11 (Jan 2000): 1–18.https://doi.org/10.1078/1433-8319-00001N. M. HOLBROOK, F. E. Putz From epiphyte to tree: differences in leaf structure and leaf water relations associated with the transition in growth form in eight species of hemiepiphytes, Plant, Cell and Environment 19, no.66 (Jun 1996): 631–642.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.1996.tb00398.xThomas S. Ray CYCLIC HETEROPHYLLY IN SYNGONIUM (ARACEAE), American Journal of Botany 74, no.11 (Jan 1987): 16–26.https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1537-2197.1987.tb08575.xPaula A. Deschamp, Todd J. Cooke Leaf Dimorphism in Aquatic Angiosperms: Significance of Turgor Pressure and Cell Expansion, Science 219, no.45844584 (Feb 1983): 505–507.https://doi.org/10.1126/science.219.4584.505Joseph B. Kaskey, Donald R. Tindall Physiological aspects of growth and heteroblastic development of Nasturtium officinale under natural conditions, Aquatic Botany 7 (Jan 1979): 209–229.https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3770(79)90023-8C. D. K. COOK ON THE DETERMINATION OF LEAF FORM IN RANUNCULUS AQUATILIS, New Phytologist 68, no.22 (Apr 1969): 469–480.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1969.tb06457.xMARGARET Y. STANT Anatomy of the Butomaceae, Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Botany 60, no.381381 (Jun 2008): 31–60.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1967.tb00078.xA.D. Bradshaw Evolutionary Significance of Phenotypic Plasticity in Plants, (Jan 1965): 115–155.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2660(08)60048-6Wayne H. England, Robert J. Tolbert A SEASONAL STUDY OF THE VEGETATIVE SHOOT APEX OF MYRIOPHYLLUM HETEROPHYLLUM, American Journal of Botany 51, no.44 (Apr 1964): 349–353.https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1537-2197.1964.tb06642.xHiram F. Thut THE MOVEMENT OF WATER THROUGH SOME SUBMERGED PLANTS, American Journal of Botany 19, no.88 (Oct 1932): 693–709.https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1537-2197.1932.tb08853.x

IV. Observations on the economical use of the Ranunculus aquatilis; with introductory remarks on the acrimonious and poisonous quality of some of the English species of that genus

IV. <i>Observations on the economical use of the Ranunculus aquatilis; with introductory remarks on the acrimonious and poisonous quality of some of the English species of that genus</i>

III. Observations on the Economical Use of the Ranunculus aquatilis: with Introductory Remarks on the acrimonious and poisonous Quality of some of the English Species of that Genus.

III. Observations on the Economical Use of the Ranunculus aquatilis: with Introductory Remarks on the acrimonious and poisonous Quality of some of the English Species of that Genus.