Long-term competitive displacement of Typha latifolia by Typha angustifolia in a eutrophic lake

• Published in: Oecologia Vol. 94; no. 3; pp. 451 - 456
• Main Author: Weisner, S.E.B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer-Verlag 01-06-1993; Springer
• Subjects: Aerial photography; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Competitive abilities; Demecology; Ecological competition; ecological succession; Emergent macrophytes; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Limnology; Plant strategies; Plants; Plants and fungi; Ponds; Rhizomes; Shallow water; Succession; Typha; Typha angustifolia; Typha latifolia; Vegetation; Water depth; Sweden; Europe; Monocotyledones; Environmental factor; Aerial photography; Typha angustifolia; Temperate zone; Eutrophication; Freshwater environment; Competitive ability; Typhaceae; Water level; Spatial distribution; Angiospermae; Interspecific competition; Lakes; Spermatophyta; Aquatic plant; Typha latifolia; Population density; Anthropogenic factor; Species succession; Plant strategies; Competitive abilities; Emergent macrophytes; Succession; Typha
• ISSN: 0029-8549; 1432-1939; 1432-1939
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00317123

This study follows the outcome of long-term competition between a broad-leaved and a narrow-leaved Typha species, T. latifolia and T. angustifolia respectively, in a eutrophic lake. The lake was bordered by a zone of T. latifolia, at one location interrupted by a T. angustifolia stand. Distributional changes of the T. angustifolia stand and the adjacent zone of T. latifolia were measured on aerial photographs (≤ 13 years) and along ground-level transects (6 years). A second stand of T. angustifolia was established with transplanted ramets within a formerly homogeneous zone of T. latifolia, and displacement between the two species was measured along ground-level transects after 6 years. Differences between the species in shoot performance were investigated to help explain the relative competitive abilities of the two Typha species. T. angustifolia expanded at the expense of T. latifolia at all water depths where both species occurred, except in very shallow water. Expansion rates suggest that T. angustifolia was not affected by the presence of T. latifolia in water depths exceeding 0.25 m. The Typha species were significantly negatively associated according to rank correlations of shoot densities, and changes of shoot densities, along the transects. These results suggest that T. angustifolia is competitively superior to T. latifolia, contradicting earlier studies. The higher competitive ability of T. angustifolia is consistent with its having taller shoots and a higher standing crop in early summer. Further, shoot height distributions indicated a closer integration of shoot emergence during spring in T. angustifolia than in T. latifolia. A high leaf area/shoot weight ratio suggest that T. latifolia may instead be relatively fast-growing, achieving competitive superiority over narrower-leaved Typha species during a transient period after simultaneous seedling establishment.