Competition between Chara aspera and P. pectinatus as a function of temperature and light
Critical Review 1
Competition between Chara aspera and Potamogeton pectinatus as a function of temperature and light
Introduction
In the article “Competition between Chara aspera and Potamogeton pectinatus as a function of temperature and light” by authors Marcel S. Van den Berg, Hugo Coop, Jan Simons and Annemarie de Keizer, it was theorized that one type of aquatic plant may be a better competitor for sunlight than another plant that is more of a bottom dweller. They argue that “P. pectinatus and C. aspera have different growth forms and the canopy forming P. pectinatus may be a better competitor for light than the bottom-covering C.aspera.” to support this first argument. In addition they also put forth a second argument in that the bottom dwelling aquatic plant may, in the long run, be a better competitor in clear water as it may be better able to use sunlight in a more efficient manner and also due to its faster emergence in the annual life cycle of both plants, “The latter however, might be able to survive in clear water due to a more efficient use of light. Because both species have an annual life cycle, P. pectinatus might be outcompeted for light or space in Lake Veluwemeer due to the emergence of C. aspera earlier in the year.” The scientific team certainly does make a valiant effort to prove that this hypothesis is true and it can be deduced that the authors took great time in conceptualizing, realizing and working through the experiment and prove this for the most part but it does fall short in some areas. Summary
The authors include a brief history of Lake Veluwemeer and give a concise overview of how eutrophication led to the survival of the P. pectinatus species within the lake and later C.aspera. They then go into the specifics of how the emergence experiment was set up and carried out. This is the first of two experiments conducted and revolves around the effects of temperature and length of
Competition between Chara aspera and Potamogeton pectinatus as a function of temperature and light
Introduction
In the article “Competition between Chara aspera and Potamogeton pectinatus as a function of temperature and light” by authors Marcel S. Van den Berg, Hugo Coop, Jan Simons and Annemarie de Keizer, it was theorized that one type of aquatic plant may be a better competitor for sunlight than another plant that is more of a bottom dweller. They argue that “P. pectinatus and C. aspera have different growth forms and the canopy forming P. pectinatus may be a better competitor for light than the bottom-covering C.aspera.” to support this first argument. In addition they also put forth a second argument in that the bottom dwelling aquatic plant may, in the long run, be a better competitor in clear water as it may be better able to use sunlight in a more efficient manner and also due to its faster emergence in the annual life cycle of both plants, “The latter however, might be able to survive in clear water due to a more efficient use of light. Because both species have an annual life cycle, P. pectinatus might be outcompeted for light or space in Lake Veluwemeer due to the emergence of C. aspera earlier in the year.” The scientific team certainly does make a valiant effort to prove that this hypothesis is true and it can be deduced that the authors took great time in conceptualizing, realizing and working through the experiment and prove this for the most part but it does fall short in some areas. Summary
The authors include a brief history of Lake Veluwemeer and give a concise overview of how eutrophication led to the survival of the P. pectinatus species within the lake and later C.aspera. They then go into the specifics of how the emergence experiment was set up and carried out. This is the first of two experiments conducted and revolves around the effects of temperature and length of
References: Van den Berg, M. S., H. Coops, J. Simons & A. De Keizer, 1998. Competition between Chara aspera and Potamogeton pectinatus as a function of temperature and light. Aquatic Botany 60: 241–250.