Abstract
In this study, we investigated how substrate moisture content affects the growth performance and adaptive responses of Myriophyllum aquaticum. Through a controlled simulation experiment, we systematically analyzed the morphological characteristics and physiological responses of plants under five moisture levels: 0–15%, 15–30%, 30–45%, 45–60%, and 60–75%. The results indicate that optimal growth of M. aquaticum occurred at a substrate moisture content of 60–75%, with significant increases in plant height, branching ability, and biomass. A drought acclimation response was triggered at moisture levels ≤45%, characterized by shortened root length, increased total senescent internode length, biomass allocation shift toward aboveground parts, decreased chlorophyll a content, and elevated accumulation of malondialdehyde. Plants died at moisture levels ≤15%. However, they survived at 15–30% moisture, although their biomass continued to decline. A key finding was that under conditions where the sediment surface lacked water but the substrate moisture remained at 60–75%, plants achieved efficient water utilization and canopy reconstruction through rapid root extension and stem node proliferation, and the relative growth rate was significantly higher than that of the drought group (≤45% moisture). This strong adaptive capacity under specific water conditions, combined with its dehydration tolerance, suggests that M. aquaticum could potentially have a competitive advantage over native submerged plants that rely on stable water bodies, particularly in hydrologically fluctuating habitats. This study revealed that morpho-physiological plasticity driven by water gradients may be a key mechanism contributing to the invasive potential of M. aquaticum, providing new insights into its possible expansion potential in zones with fluctuating water levels.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Growth was optimal at 60–75% moisture, increasing height, branching and biomass.
- Taxon
- M. aquaticum
.jpg?width=60)
Myriophyllum aquaticume0 - Treatment
- substrate moisture content of 60–75%e0
- Outcome
- plant height, branching ability, and biomasse0
- Direction
- increasese0
- Value
- 60–75%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“optimal growth of M. aquaticum occurred at a substrate moisture content of 60–75%, with significant increases in plant height, branching ability, and biomass”
Claim · model-written summary
Moisture at or below 45% shortened roots.
- Taxon
- Myriophyllum aquaticumMyriophyllum aquaticumt0
- Treatment
- moisture levels ≤45%e0
- Outcome
- root lengthe0
- Direction
- shortenede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A drought acclimation response was triggered at moisture levels ≤45%, characterized by shortened root length, increased total senescent internode length, biomass allocation shift toward aboveground parts, decreased chlorophyll a content, and elevated accumulation of malondialdehyde”
t0“Myriophyllum aquaticum”
Claim · model-written summary
Moisture at or below 45% increased senescent internode length.
- Taxon
- Myriophyllum aquaticumMyriophyllum aquaticumt0
- Treatment
- moisture levels ≤45%e0
- Outcome
- total senescent internode lengthe0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A drought acclimation response was triggered at moisture levels ≤45%, characterized by shortened root length, increased total senescent internode length, biomass allocation shift toward aboveground parts, decreased chlorophyll a content, and elevated accumulation of malondialdehyde”
t0“Myriophyllum aquaticum”
Claim · model-written summary
Moisture at or below 45% shifted biomass allocation aboveground.
- Taxon
- Myriophyllum aquaticumMyriophyllum aquaticumt0
- Treatment
- moisture levels ≤45%e0
- Outcome
- biomass allocatione0
- Direction
- shift toward aboveground partse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A drought acclimation response was triggered at moisture levels ≤45%, characterized by shortened root length, increased total senescent internode length, biomass allocation shift toward aboveground parts, decreased chlorophyll a content, and elevated accumulation of malondialdehyde”
t0“Myriophyllum aquaticum”
Claim · model-written summary
Moisture at or below 45% decreased chlorophyll a content.
- Taxon
- Myriophyllum aquaticumMyriophyllum aquaticumt0
- Treatment
- moisture levels ≤45%e0
- Outcome
- chlorophyll a contente0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A drought acclimation response was triggered at moisture levels ≤45%, characterized by shortened root length, increased total senescent internode length, biomass allocation shift toward aboveground parts, decreased chlorophyll a content, and elevated accumulation of malondialdehyde”
t0“Myriophyllum aquaticum”
Claim · model-written summary
Moisture at or below 45% elevated malondialdehyde accumulation.
- Taxon
- Myriophyllum aquaticumMyriophyllum aquaticumt0
- Treatment
- moisture levels ≤45%e0
- Outcome
- accumulation of malondialdehydee0
- Direction
- elevatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A drought acclimation response was triggered at moisture levels ≤45%, characterized by shortened root length, increased total senescent internode length, biomass allocation shift toward aboveground parts, decreased chlorophyll a content, and elevated accumulation of malondialdehyde”
t0“Myriophyllum aquaticum”
Claim · model-written summary
Plants died at moisture levels at or below 15%.
- Taxon
- Myriophyllum aquaticumMyriophyllum aquaticumt0
- Treatment
- moisture levels ≤15%e0
- Outcome
- Plants diede0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Plants died at moisture levels ≤15%”
t0“Myriophyllum aquaticum”
Claim · model-written summary
Plants survived at 15–30% moisture.
- Taxon
- Myriophyllum aquaticumMyriophyllum aquaticumt0
- Treatment
- 15–30% moisturee0
- Outcome
- survivede0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“they survived at 15–30% moisture, although their biomass continued to decline”
t0“Myriophyllum aquaticum”
Claim · model-written summary
Biomass continued to decline at 15–30% moisture.
- Taxon
- Myriophyllum aquaticumMyriophyllum aquaticumt0
- Treatment
- 15–30% moisturee0
- Outcome
- biomasse0
- Direction
- declinee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“they survived at 15–30% moisture, although their biomass continued to decline”
t0“Myriophyllum aquaticum”
Claim · model-written summary
At 60–75% moisture without surface water, roots extended rapidly and stem nodes proliferated.
- Taxon
- Myriophyllum aquaticumMyriophyllum aquaticumt0
- Outcome
- rapid root extension and stem node proliferatione0
- Qualifier
- sediment surface lacked water but the substrate moisture remained at 60–75%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“under conditions where the sediment surface lacked water but the substrate moisture remained at 60–75%, plants achieved efficient water utilization and canopy reconstruction through rapid root extension and stem node proliferation”
t0“Myriophyllum aquaticum”
Claim · model-written summary
At 60–75% moisture without surface water, relative growth rate exceeded the drought group.
- Taxon
- Myriophyllum aquaticumMyriophyllum aquaticumt0
- Outcome
- relative growth ratee0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- drought group (≤45% moisture)e0
Not reportedTreatment
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the relative growth rate was significantly higher than that of the drought group (≤45% moisture)”
t0“Myriophyllum aquaticum”