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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Invasive Species and Pollinator Health » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #367224
Research Project: Watershed-scale Assessment of Pest Dynamics and Implications for Area-wide Management of Invasive Insects and Weeds

Location: Invasive Species and Pollinator Health

Title: Water temperature controls the growth of waterhyacinth and South American sponge plant

Author
item Madsen, John
item MORGAN, CHRISTY - University Of California, Davis

Submitted to: Journal of Aquatic Plant Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/12/2020
Publication Date: 8/31/2021
Citation: Madsen, J.D., Morgan, C.M. 2021. Water temperature controls the growth of waterhyacinth and South American sponge plant. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management. 59s:28-32.

Interpretive Summary: We tested waterhyacinth and South American spongeplant with two six-week growth studies at four temperatures. Waterhyacinth developed very high mass, with a doubling time of 7 days, which was comparable to other studies. Spongeplant has been studied very little previously. While the mass achieved was much less, the growth rate was actually more, with a doubling time of only 5.7 days. This growth rate is comparable to that of Giant salvinia, which indicate the potential invasiveness of spongeplant.

Technical Abstract: We examined two free-floating aquatic species in this study: waterhyacinth and South American spongeplant. Waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) has been rated as the worst aquatic weed worldwide. A native of South and Central America, it is a recurring management issue in tropical and subtropical freshwater bodies in the United States. South American spongeplant (Limnobium laevigatum, hereafter spongeplant), native to southern Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, was first detected in California in 2003. We studied the growth of these two species with two six-week growth studies (for each species), at water temperatures of 15, 20, 25, and 30 C. All temperatures were replicated in four tanks, for a total of 16 tanks. Waterhyacinth biomass by 42 days after start (DAS) was over 2,000 gDW m-2 for plants grown at 25 and 30 C. Waterhyacinth density reached almost 800 rosettes m-2 at 25 and 30 C. Waterhyacinth relative growth rate (RGR) reached 0.099 d-1, for a doubling time of 7.0 days. Spongeplant biomass by 42 DAS was 400 gDW m-2 at 25 and 30C. Density was as high as 3,900 rosettes m-2 at 42 DAS grown at 25 C. Spongeplant relative growth rate was 0.12 d-1 at 25 C, for a doubling time of 5.7 days. The invasive potential of spongeplant has been demonstrated in this study.