Resistance of vallisneria to invasion from hydrilla fragments.

摘要

Weighted hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) fragments were introduced to containers of wild celery (Vallisneria americana) grown at four water depths (18, 46, 91 and 122 cm) in a research pond at the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility, Lewisville, Texas, USA. Established wild celery effectively reduced invasion by hydrilla fragments, while hydrilla fragments readily established in control containers filled with sediment alone. Hydrilla biomass harvested from controls, representing the "empty niche," was significantly greater (40 times) than hydrilla biomass harvested from containers planted with wild celery for all water depth treatments. This study addresses the concept that preemptive establishment of wild celery can slow or prevent invasion from hydrilla fragments at different water treatment depths.