Submerged vegetation of Lakes Sumner, Marion, Katrine, Taylor, and Sheppard in Canterbury, New Zealand

Abstract

The submerged vegetation of Lakes Sumner, Marion, Katrine, Taylor, and Sheppard was surveyed in May 1987. These high‐altitude lakes lie at c. 600 m a.s.l., within the largely unmodified upper Hurunui catchment. Submerged vegetation was diverse and included numerous short shallow‐water species, dense swards of Isoetes alpinus, low covers of taller native vascular plants, and charophyte meadows beyond the depth limit of vascular plants to a maximum of 15 m. A sparse deepwater bryophyte community was observed from 11 to 32 m depth in Lake Sumner. Displacement of native vegetation by dense growths of the adventive oxygen weed Elodea canadensis over mid‐depths of 3–6 m was noted in all lakes, except Lake Marion.

Keywords:

• Lake Sumner
• Lake Marion
• Lake Katrine
• Lake Taylor, Lake Sheppard
• aquatic plants
• submerged vegetation
• bryophytes
• charophytes
• Elodea canadensis
• Project Aqua
• macrophytes