Organic chemicals entering surface waters may interact with aquatic macrophytes, which in turn may reduce potential negative effects on aquatic organisms. The overall objective of the present study was to determine the significance of aquatic macrophytes to the retention of organic chemicals in slow-flowing streams and thus their contribution to the mitigation of the risks that these compounds ...

Plankton communities and macrofauna associated to aquatic macrophyte stands in a shallow water-supply reservoir (21°14'09″S; 48°18'38″W) on an aquaculture farm were compared to evaluate the relationship between organism densities and some abiotic features of the reservoir. Water and communities associated were sampled at two sites, one in an area with the predominance of Eichhornia azurea (Sw.)...

With the intensification of human activities over the past three decades in China, adverse effects on river ecosystem become more serious especially in the Hanjiang River. Xiangyang site is an important spawn ground for four domestic fishes in the downstream region of Hanjiang River. Based on the field survey results of macrophytes during 1997-2000 and 2013-2014, community succession of aquatic...

Myriophyllum spicatum L. (or milfoil for short) is a highly competitive submersed macrophyte which can replace other submersed macrophytes and form monospecific stands. Frequently, epiphyte cover and phytoplankton development is low in M. spicatum dominated systems. Milfoil shoots grow fast and tall and tend to form canopies at the water surface depriving underlying photosynthetic organisms of ...

Understanding how ecological interactions mitigate the impacts of perturbations such as pesticides in biological communities is an important basic and applied question for ecologists. In aquatic ecosystems, new evidence from microcosm experiments suggests that submerged macrophytes can buffer cladocerans from pulse exposures to the widely used insecticide malathion, and that mitigation increase...

Iron can limit primary production in shallow marine systems, especially in tropical waters characterized by carbonated sediments, where iron is largely trapped in a non-available form. The Red Sea, an oligotrophic ecosystem characterized by a strong N-S latitudinal nutrient gradient, is a suitable setting to explore patterns in situ of iron limitation in macrophytes and their physiological perf...

In closed aquatic environments like ponds or lakes, water bloom caused by eutrophication has severely damaged aquatic ecosystems. Some previous studies suggested that submerged macrophytes contribute to the development of aquatic ecosystems and water purification. Although water purification and lake ecosystem restoration using submerged macrophytes have been greatly studied, their specific mec...

Pomacea canaliculata (Ampullariidae) has extensively invaded most Asian constructed wetlands and its massive herbivory of macrophytes has become a major cause of ecosystem dysfunctioning of these restored habitats. We conducted non-choice laboratory feeding experiments of P. canaliculata using five common macrophyte species in constructed wetlands including Ipomoea aquatica, Commelina communis,...

Many aquatic animals deposit fertilized eggs in adherent clutches or gelatinous masses. Egg aggregation carries certain risks, including the potential for inadequate oxygen supply to embryos. Physical and biological conditions alter such risks. We examined the effects of light levels and associated photosynthetic organisms on the distribution of oxygen inside gelatinous egg masses of four tempe...

The marine environment supports a remarkable diversity of organisms which are a potential source of natural products with biological activities. These organisms include a wide variety of marine plants (from micro- to macrophytes), which have been used in the food and pharmaceutical industry. However, the biochemistry and biological activities of many of these macrophytes (namely macroalgae and ...