AUTHOR=Guo Xin-zhi , Zhong Jia-shun , Sun Wen-jing , Song Xiang-rong , Liu Jing , Chen Xin-sheng 

TITLE=Sediment accretion and nutrient enrichment enhance the growth and vegetative propagation of Phalaris arundinacea growing within a Carex thunbergii stand

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1459663

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2024.1459663

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Sediment accretion (burial) and nutrient enrichment may exert a synergistic influence on the growth and distribution of macrophytes in floodplain wetlands; however, this phenomenon has rarely been examined. In this study, we investigated the effects of sediment accretion and nutrient enrichment on the growth and vegetative propagation of <italic>Phalaris arundinacea</italic> within a <italic>Carex thunbergii</italic> stand (one <italic>P. arundinacea</italic> ramet within 25 C<italic>. thunbergii</italic> ramets) using a factorial sediment burial (0, 3, and 6 cm) and nutrient addition (low, medium, and high) experimental design. High sediment burial (6 cm) without nutrient addition decreased the aboveground and total biomass of <italic>C. thunbergii</italic> but did not affect <italic>P. arundinacea</italic>, indicating that <italic>P. arundinacea</italic> is more tolerant to sediment burial than <italic>C. thunbergii</italic>. Moderate sediment burial (3 cm) with nutrient addition enhanced the aboveground and total biomass of <italic>P. arundinacea</italic> but did not affect <italic>C. thunbergii</italic>, indicating that <italic>P. arundinacea</italic> may gain a growth advantage over <italic>C. thunbergii</italic> under moderate sedimentation. High sediment burial with nutrient addition increased the number of rhizomes and ramets produced by <italic>P. arundinacea</italic> but did not affect <italic>C. thunbergii</italic>, indicating that the relative abundance of <italic>P. arundinacea</italic> may increase within the <italic>Carex</italic> community under high sedimentation conditions. Based on these results, it can be concluded that an increased sedimentation rate facilitates the invasion of <italic>P. arundinacea</italic> into <italic>Carex</italic> grasslands, and this invasion is further enhanced by nutrient enrichment. Therefore, management measures should be taken to reduce the sediment load and nutrient input to prevent <italic>Carex</italic> grasslands invasion by <italic>P. arundinacea</italic> and maintain the ecological function of floodplain wetlands.</p>