Lanterna Rally

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Published: 1995

Total Pages: 50

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Aquatic plant species that form dense floating canopies or mats at water surface often negatively impact the ecological and economic values of a water body. In Guntersville Reservoir, this growth form is exhibited by both the weedy, nonnative aquatic macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum (Eurasian watermilfoil) and the nuisance, albeit native, mat-forming cyanobacteria Lyngbya wollei (Iyngbya). In contrast to the few species that cause problems, most native aquatic plant species exhibit growth forms that enhance water quality and/or habitat values of the aquatic systems. In addition, greenhouse and pond research have indicated that established populations of native aquatic plants serve to minimize or prevent establishment of less desirable species. This report presents results of field trials designed to test the central hypothesis that small populations of native plants, deliberately established in areas experiencing or subject to infestation by one of the two nuisance species in Guntersville Reservoir, are able to survive and ameliorate the negative impacts of nuisance species. One aspect of this research examined the ability of established plots of three native species to withstand reinvasion by M. spicatum. Small plots of the native submersed species Vallisneria americana (wild celery), the floating-leaved species Potamogeton nodosus (American pondweed), and the floating-leaved/emergent species Nelumbo Lu tea (American lotus) were established during a general decline of M. spicatum in Guntersville Reservoir. This offered the opponunity to examine the potential of these species for preventing reinfestation of M. spicatum as it regrew within the reservoir. Although establishment of the natives was complicated by high herbivory pressures, results indicate that established plots of V. americana and N. Jutea significantly reduced the regrowth of M. spicatum relative to.