Suppressed growth of the submersed macrophyte Vallisneria natans in a non-rooted suspended state

Figures & data

Figure 1. Light micrographs of the root cross-section of V. natans grown with anchored roots (a) and grown in the suspended treatment (b).

Table 1. Mean comparison (mean values ± SD, n = 6) for V. natans traits grown anchored in sand and in a suspended treatment.

Parameters	Anchored	Suspended	p
Height (cm)	48.8 ± 1.4	21.4 ± 5.1	***
Number of ramets	4.0 ± 1.2	0	***
Number of leaf	10.4 ± 1.1	5.0 ± 0.8	***
Total root length (cm)	626.9 ± 227.9	76.6 ± 27.69	**
Diameter of root (mm)	0.2 ± 0.02	0.2 ± 0.01	ns
Lacunal volume of root (%)	17.2 ± 0.9	10.5 ± 2.9	**
Specific root length (cm g^−1DW)	31133.2 ± 27391.7	29984.6 ± 7363.0	ns
Total biomass (DW)	0.3 ± 0.1	0.02 ± 0.01	**
Leaf dry weight (gDW)	0.2 ± 0.1	0.02 ± 0.01	**
Shoot dry weight (gDW)	0.01 ± 0.004	0.0007 ± 0.0005	**
Root dry weight (gDW)	0.03 ± 0.02	0.003 ± 0.001	**
Leaf dry weight %	87.0 ± 3.2	81.2 ± 6.0	ns
Shoot dry weight %	3.6 ± 0.7	3.8 ± 1.8	ns
Root dry weight %	9.4 ± 2.8	14.9 ± 6.8	ns
Root–shoot ratio (DW)	0.2 ± 0.04	0.2 ± 0.1	ns
Note: ns, p > 0.05; **, p < 0.01; and ***, p < 0.001.