Ecological adaptability and population growth tolerance characteristics of Carex cinerascens in response to water level changes in Poyang Lake, China

Abstract

Water level conditions are the key factors that affect the growth and distribution of wetland plants. Using Carex cinerascens (C. cinerascens) as the study species, we employ indoor simulations and field surveys. Our results show that C. cinerascens can adapt to rhythmic changes in the water level through different adaptation strategies. Compared to that of the control group, plant growth was better with a 0–0.4 cm/d water level rate, and plant growth was in the 42–56 cm range to that a 1.0–1.4 cm/d water level rate. Furthermore, it was observed that 0–0.4 cm/d was the most suitable growth rate, with 0.6–1.0 cm/d and 0–32 cm being the ideal plant tolerance ranges, and increasing to 1.0–1.4 cm/d and 32–56 cm exceeds the plant tolerance threshold. In the middle and late period of the experiment (25–45 d), the ecological characteristics of the plants changed significantly. For example, the root-to-shoot ratio of the plant in the stable water level reached 26.1. In our field observations, plant biomass can be influenced by a variety of environmental factors. The frequency of the species was the largest at an elevation of 15 m, and the growth status of the dominant and companion species of C. cinerascens was weakened with an increase in soil moisture content. The suitable water content for C. cinerascens growth was 27.6–57.3%, the distribution elevation was 12.54–16.59 m, and the optimum elevation was 13.56–15.54 m. The study is expected to provide a reference for wetland ecology research and wetland protection and restoration, a theoretical reference for the coordination of water resource development and utilization of Poyang Lake and ecological protection of important lakes and wetlands, and an important scientific basis for wetland hydrologic regulation, ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation.

Priorities identification of habitat restoration for migratory birds under the early dry season: A case study of Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake wetlands, China

“…PYL and DTL wetlands are the most important habitats and migration routes for migratory birds in East Asia, and play an essential role in global biodiversity conservation (Qu et al, 2020;Xiao et al, 2022;Yao et al, 2021). Previous studies have shown that the EDS has caused changes in landscape patterns and HS of migratory birds in PYL and DTL wetlands (Wu et al, 2019b).…”

Air Warming and Drainage Influences Soil Microarthropod Communities

“…The relationship between water level change and plant population characteristics, species diversity and life history have been studied. Researches showed that fluctuation and its frequency are important factors affecting the growth, reproduction, and population distribution of wetland plants (Gattringer et al, 2018;Yao et al, 2021). Water fluctuation increased number of shoot nodes and shoot length of the communities, and may increase the vegetative spread of submerged macrophyte communities (Wang et al, 2016), and biomass accumulation in roots rather than in shoots and the ability to asexually propagate were important for the survival of these species during water fluctuation (Wei et al, 2019).…”

Dimensional Variation of Wood Components of Ailanthus Excelsa Roxb. Across the Tree Trunk and Its Ecological Importance

“…Environmental factors (temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed, water and soil) affect every aspect of plant growth and development (Butto et al, 2021). Plants adopt different strategies for survival and growth under the fluctuated environmental conditions (Yao et al, 2021). The wood (secondary xylem), an outcome of the activity of vascular cambium (radial growth) and leaf production pattern is greatly influenced by the environmental factors of the habitat (Qaderi et al, 2019).…”