Abstract

ESCUTIA-LARA, Yazmín; BARRERA, Erick de la; MARTINEZ-DE LA CRUZ, Yanira  and  LINDIG-CISNEROS, Roberto. Responses to addition of nitrogen and phosphorus in the growth of Typha domingensis and Schoenoplectus americanus. Bol. Soc. Bot. Méx [online]. 2010, n.87, pp.83-87. ISSN 0366-2128.

Responses to nutrient concentrations can determine the dynamics among wetland plant species. One of these species is Typha domingensis (Typhaceae) for which previous studies have obtained dissimilar results on the response to additions of nitrogen and phosphorus. Schoenoplectas americanas (Cyperaceae), is a species that coexists with the latter in Western Mexico, and no data has been gathered for responses to these nutrients. In this study two experiments were carried out to quantify response of the two species to addition of N and P as well as both nutrients combined. Results showed that T. domingensis responds mostly to N addition increasing height and particularly by accumulating starch in the rhizomes, and that S. americanas responds to N addition by increasing height and number of leaves, but aerial biomass accumulation responds to both nutrients. For S. americanas, in contrast with T. domingensis, starch accumulation did not respond to nutrient treatments. Our results suggest that if nitrogen concentrations are increased in wetlands where Typha domingensis and Schoenoplectus americanas coexist, the first species might replace the second cuasing biodiversity loss.

Keywords : wetland; nutrients; hydrophytes.

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