Seasonal Variation in Photosynthesis in Relation to Differing Environmental Factors of Dominant Plant Species in Three Successional Communities in Hangzhou Bay Wetlands, East China

摘要

We investigated the ecophysiology (physiological ecology) of plant succession within a coastal wetland community. The photosynthetic characteristics of six plants were studied; Scirpus mariqueter and Carex scabrifolia in early successional communities, Phragmites communis and Tamarix chinensis in mid suc-cessional communities, and Salix matsudana and Imperata cylindrica in later successional communities.Environmental factors were concurrently determined for each community. Relationships between photosyn-thetic and environmental factors were analyzed by path analysis, and the dependence of photosynthesis on particular environmental factors was shown to vary between plants in the differing successional communities. Ability to cope with irradiation appears to be one of the most important factors influencing plant succession. The increasing stratification of plant communities following colonization of new coastal land necessitates dif-fering physiological strategies and photosynthetic dynamics in the later colonizing plants.