Aquatic BotanyPub Date : 2025-09-28DOI: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103949
Takuya Kandori, Hiroyuki Mizuta, Toshiki Uji
{"title":"Transcriptome analysis of the red marine alga Gracilaria vermiculophylla grown under different light intensities","authors":"Takuya Kandori, Hiroyuki Mizuta, Toshiki Uji","doi":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103949","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103949","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Light plays a vital role in seaweed growth by regulating photosynthesis and signaling metabolic processes. In natural habitats, seaweeds are exposed to fluctuating light conditions caused by environmental factors such as weather and tidal changes. Although the effects of light intensity on red algal growth have been studied physiologically, the underlying gene expression patterns remain poorly understood. Here, we examined the effect of light intensity on the growth of the economically important red alga <em>Gracilaria vermiculophylla</em>. Growth was markedly enhanced under high-light (HL) conditions compared with low-light (LL) conditions. To investigate the molecular basis of this enhanced growth, we performed transcriptome profiling using RNA-Seq. A total of 593 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between LL and HL. Among these, genes associated with nitrogen and carbon metabolism (e.g., nitrate reductase, ammonium transporter, and carbonic anhydrase) as well as β-glucanase, potentially involved in cell wall remodeling, were upregulated under HL. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying light-enhanced growth in red macroalgae. The identified genes represent promising molecular targets for genetic engineering and may contribute to the development of strategies to enhance red algal productivity in aquaculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8273,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Botany","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 103949"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145216778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic BotanyPub Date : 2025-09-15DOI: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103947
Rafael de Paiva Farias , Ana Paula Teixeira Barreto , Lucas Erickson Nascimento da Costa
{"title":"Leaf traits and herbivory in the mangrove fern Acrostichum aureum: a comparative study case with co-occurring angiosperms in Brazil","authors":"Rafael de Paiva Farias , Ana Paula Teixeira Barreto , Lucas Erickson Nascimento da Costa","doi":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103947","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103947","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite their ecological relevance, ferns remain understudied in terms of herbivory and defense strategies, especially in mangrove ecosystems. Here we analyzed the leaf traits and herbivory damage in <em>Acrostichum aureum</em>, a notable fern species occurring in mangroves, and compared the data with two angiosperms occurring in the same area, <em>Laguncularia racemosa</em> and <em>Rhizophora mangle</em>. For this study case, we estimated herbivory damage in 100 leaves collected from 10 to 15 individuals of each species in a Brazilian mangrove using the classical visual method. We measured the leaf thickness, nutrient (N, P, K and Ca), heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb), and phenol concentrations and compared them using ANOVA. Cd, Cr, and Pb were not detected in all studied species. Our results demonstrated that <em>A. aureum</em> had higher palatability associated with thinner leaves, absence of Ni, lower Ca and phenol content, and higher NPK concentrations, compared to the other mangrove species. However, <em>A. aureum</em> exhibited significantly lower herbivory damage (0.05 %) than <em>L. racemosa</em> (0.75 %) and <em>R. mangle</em> (2.86 %). Therefore, the palatability of <em>A. aureum</em> leaves did not lead to higher herbivory damage in this species. Our findings underscore the challenges in generalizing the effects of leaf defenses and nutritional composition on herbivory in mangrove species. We encourage global herbivory data collection in <em>A. aureum</em> to better understand its role in mangrove herbivory. We propose hypotheses to explain why the high palatability does not translate into high herbivory in <em>A. aureum</em>. Finally, we highlight the absence of bottom-up effects on herbivory patterns in our study area.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8273,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Botany","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 103947"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic BotanyPub Date : 2025-09-10DOI: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103946
Alexandra D. Kirina , Polina A. Volkova , Maria O. Ivanova , Alexander A. Bobrov
{"title":"Genetic variability does not support species delimitation within the Zannichellia palustris complex in temperate Eurasia","authors":"Alexandra D. Kirina , Polina A. Volkova , Maria O. Ivanova , Alexander A. Bobrov","doi":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103946","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103946","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biodiversity researches rely heavily on trustworthy species identification. Morphological variability within the <em>Zannichellia palustris</em> complex is quite low, which results in significant differences in the published diagnostic characteristics. Genetic variability of the complex in Eurasian scale remains unclear. Endemic species in the section <em>Zannichellia</em> also were described but their taxonomic status has not been confirmed genetically. Thus, we aimed to study variation of the proposed diagnostic traits and genetic variability (nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS) and plastid DNA (trnH-psbA) markers) on mass material of the <em>Z. palustris</em> complex on the area-wide scale. The sampling primarily covered the former USSR; some samples from North America, Israel, Turkey, China, Mongolia, and West Europe were also studied. We did not manage to reveal any distinct morphotypes within the complex. There was also no morphological differentiation of haplotypes and ribotypes. Thus, we were not able to distinguish any species within <em>Z. palustris</em> complex. Endemic taxa from Kamchatka (<em>Z. komarovii</em>) and from the Lower Volga (<em>Z. clausii</em>) also were not differentiated genetically. Additional studies based on analysis of low-copy nuclear genes along with an assessment of the ploidy of the specimens is necessary to further clarify the taxonomy of the complex.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8273,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Botany","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 103946"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145045297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic BotanyPub Date : 2025-09-10DOI: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103945
Killivalavan Narayanan , Mohandoss Durairaj , Aamir Sultan Lone
{"title":"Assessing the growth, biochemical and phytoremediation potential of Suaeda maritima (L.) Dumort. – A salt marsh halophyte in salt affected farmland","authors":"Killivalavan Narayanan , Mohandoss Durairaj , Aamir Sultan Lone","doi":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103945","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103945","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil salinization represents a significant global environmental challenge, severely compromising the functional integrity of terrestrial ecosystems by disrupting ecosystem services, threatening biodiversity, diminishing agricultural productivity and accelerating land degradation. Without the adoption of effective reclamation strategies, the progression of salinization is anticipated to intensify, especially in developing nations. Current experiment was conducted on salinity affected land over a period of 120 days at Nava Pettai Village, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, utilizing <em>Suaeda maritima</em> as a biological tool to assess its efficacy in mitigating salinity. This study explored <em>Suaeda maritima</em>’s growth parameters, biomass accumulation, biochemical, enzymatic activity and soil physico-chemical characteristics. The study highlights the superior halotolerance and bioaccumulation efficiency of <em>S. maritima</em> in facilitating soil reclamation. The species exhibited a remarkable sodium phytoaccumulation capacity of 478 kg NaCl ha⁻¹ , which contributed to a substantial reduction in soil pH from 8.7 to 6.7, electrical conductivity from 4.89 to 1.62 dS m⁻¹ , and sodium adsorption ratio from 15.2 to 7.2 mmol L⁻¹ . Notable improvements were observed in plant height, biomass, biochemical constituents, and antioxidant enzyme activity was recorded throughout the experimental period compared to the control. The findings demonstrate that the repeated cultivation of <em>S. maritima</em> offers a promising and sustainable approach for ameliorating saline soils, thereby mitigating a major limitation to agricultural productivity in salt-affected regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8273,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Botany","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 103945"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145045296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparative studies of invasive Elodea canadensis Michx. in two climatically different regions","authors":"Mariana Prokopuk , Lesya Zub , Maksym Netsvetov , Silvia Martins , Elizabete Marchante","doi":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103944","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Elodea canadensis</em> is a widespread invasive alien aquatic species in Europe. However, there is growing evidence that increasing anthropogenic eutrophication and other factors are leading to a decline in the populations of this species. We compared the structure of plant communities and the phenotypic plasticity of <em>E. canadensis</em> individuals across communities in Ukraine and Portugal to assess whether the species responds similarly to environmental variation, and to identify differences in its distribution, community role, and the environmental factors influencing the formation of morphological traits of the species and biomass. In both countries, <em>E. canadensis</em> preferentially occurs in oligo-mesotrophic and meso-eutrophic waters, forming similar communities, but in Ukraine the communities in lentic water bodies were floristically more diverse. Populations with high biomass of <em>E. canadensis</em> in Ukraine were formed in lentic water bodies with good water exchange, as well as in lotic ecosystems of both Ukraine and Portugal. Environmental clustering revealed a distinct ecological separation among water bodies, with the strongest contrast observed between lower-nutrient, higher-elevation Ukrainian lakes and nutrient-rich, lowland mixed lotic systems in both countries. The morphological traits of <em>E. canadensis</em> differed significantly between these clusters, particularly shoot length and leaf width, highlighting phenotypic responses to environmental gradients. We assume that anthropogenic eutrophication affects <em>E. сanadensis</em> communities, and may lead to their decline or disappearance as trophic levels rise in both countries. Understanding these patterns is important for forecasting invasion dynamics under eutrophication and climate change, and for refining management strategies in freshwater ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8273,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Botany","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 103944"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145018554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic BotanyPub Date : 2025-08-24DOI: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103943
Tatiana Lobato-de Magalhães , Kevin Murphy , Thomas A. Davidson , Jorge García-Girón , Andrey Efremov , Victor Chepinoga , Eugenio Molina-Navarro , Celeste Franceschini , Roger P. Mormul , Hui Fu , Rossano Bolpagni , Juri Nascimbene , Luz Manzo , Luis B. Epele , Julissa Tapia-Grimaldo , Berenice Schneider , Gisela Mayora , Pema Tendar , David Cooper , Sahar A.A. Malik Al-Saadi , Janne Alahuhta
{"title":"Fine-scale patterns and drivers of ploidy state in lentic and lotic macrophyte assemblages across the world","authors":"Tatiana Lobato-de Magalhães , Kevin Murphy , Thomas A. Davidson , Jorge García-Girón , Andrey Efremov , Victor Chepinoga , Eugenio Molina-Navarro , Celeste Franceschini , Roger P. Mormul , Hui Fu , Rossano Bolpagni , Juri Nascimbene , Luz Manzo , Luis B. Epele , Julissa Tapia-Grimaldo , Berenice Schneider , Gisela Mayora , Pema Tendar , David Cooper , Sahar A.A. Malik Al-Saadi , Janne Alahuhta","doi":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103943","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103943","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To investigate whether patterns of ploidy state variation known to occur in macrophytes at broad global scales can be detected at finer site scale, we examined macrophyte assemblages present in 1239 individual inland lentic and lotic waterbodies sampled from 2000 onwards. The sites include lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, slow-flowing or static water bodies associated with rivers (such as oxbows), man-made channels, and temporary or ephemeral lentic waterbodies in 22 countries worldwide. The latitude range for these sites was 10.58–68.40° N and from 0.01 to 54.88° S, covering climatic conditions ranging from tropical to temperate/Arctic. We examined the influence of geospatial variables, current or historic climate variables, and additional local water physical and chemical variables measured for each site, as potential predictors of the incidence of ploidy state (diploidy, polyploidy, and mixed-cytotype) in the macrophyte species assemblage. At fine scales (individual sites), we observed the same latitudinal and climatic patterns influencing all macrophyte ploidy states, especially diploid species, compared to findings at a broad spatial resolution of 10° × 10° latitude-longitude. Ploidy state of macrophyte assemblages slightly, but significantly, differs between lentic and lotic environments. Along with geospatial and climate variables, local physical and chemical variables also helped predict the occurrence of polyploid and mixed-ploidy species. Our results support previous findings on ploidy state distribution and drivers at broader scales but also unravel new information on key drivers for the distribution of polyploid and mixed-ploidy species, relevant to understanding macrophyte adaptation mechanisms and evolutionary processes worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8273,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Botany","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 103943"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144896234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Application of ABA and kinetin on the aquatic carnivorous plant Aldrovanda vesiculosa affects the morphology and phytohormone profiles in shoot apices","authors":"Lubomír Adamec , Lenka Plačková , Dardan Klos , Karel Doležal","doi":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103942","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103942","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Aldrovanda vesiculosa</em> is a rootless aquatic carnivorous plant forming turions (winter buds) as specific overwintering organs containing high abscisic acid (ABA) content. The high ABA content has the key role in regulating turion formation and maintaining turion dormancy. Here, we compared hormonal profiles (cytokinins, auxins, ABA) in shoot apices in <em>A. vesiculosa</em> grown in mini aquaria in a greenhouse at the end of the summer season after a 2-day priming with ABA (2 µM) and ABA together with an artificial cytokinin kinetin (KIN, 20 µM), to find out their effects and interactions on turion formation and morphology. During the next 11 days (without added hormones), the ABA application gently boosted the turion development but the rapid apical shoot growth was not influenced. The shoot apices were narrower and more condensed. The ABA+KIN application almost ceased the apical growth and retarded the turion development. Shoot apices were robust and wide. Turion development may thus interfere with apical shoot growth. The application of ABA alone did not significantly change the contents of cytokinins, auxins or ABA in shoot apices, but +ABA+KIN significantly decreased the total and active endogenous cytokinins and increased the ABA content threefold compared to the control. Thus, both added hormones affected the developing turions in a similar way which is known and expected in dormant organs of terrestrial plants. These results suggest that the coordination between ABA and cytokinins might be crucial for hormonal regulation of the onset of turion dormancy and turion development in aquatic plants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8273,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Botany","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 103942"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144896233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic BotanyPub Date : 2025-08-21DOI: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103941
Joanna Freeland, Marcel Dorken
{"title":"Genetic data facilitate research into a widespread and invasive cattail (Typha × glauca) hybrid zone in North America","authors":"Joanna Freeland, Marcel Dorken","doi":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103941","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103941","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Genetic data can provide insights into the evolutionary ecology of hybrid zones and may be particularly important for investigating widespread and cryptic hybrids. In North America an expansive hybrid zone comprises the cattails <em>Typha latifolia, T. angustifolia,</em> and their hybrid <em>T.</em> × <em>glauca.</em> This hybrid is a problematic wetland invader that alters ecosystem functioning and reduces biodiversity. It is fertile and produces both backcrossed and advanced-generation hybrids, leading to morphological overlaps with parent species; therefore, genetic data are necessary for understanding the dynamics of this hybrid zone. In this review we summarize some of the ways in which genetic data have helped us to understand this hybrid zone, including the distributions of parent species and hybrids; symmetrical and asymmetrical hybrid crosses; the prevalence of different hybrid classes; hybrid fitness and hybrid breakdown; and gene flow and genetic diversity. We end by identifying some knowledge gaps and future research directions that can help us to further understand what may be the most widespread hybrid macrophyte in North America.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8273,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Botany","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 103941"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145018555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic BotanyPub Date : 2025-08-14DOI: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103930
Meiying Wang, Ming Jiang, Bo Liu, Wenguang Zhang, Yuanchun Zou
{"title":"Differential responses of Bolboschoenus planiculmis and Phragmites australis to hydroperiod and nitrogen supply","authors":"Meiying Wang, Ming Jiang, Bo Liu, Wenguang Zhang, Yuanchun Zou","doi":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103930","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103930","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Bolboschoenus planiculmis</em> and <em>Phragmites australis</em> are two wetland plants found in Momoge National Nature Reserve (MNNR) in northeastern China. Recently, the water depth in this region has substantially increased during peak plant growth phases due to return flow from nearby paddy fields. The total nitrogen (TN) concentration of the water in the wetland’s inlet is 1.153 ± 0.112 mg/L. During this study, artificial ponds were used to simulate these natural changes. Experiments were then conducted to examine the response of growth, the ramet number, the biomass accumulation, and the allocation of the two aforementioned species in different hydroperiods (a static water depth and an increasing water depth) and soil nitrogen conditions (0.5, 1.1, and 1.7 mg g⁻¹ TN). We found that <em>P. australis</em> demonstrated a significantly higher biomass accumulation, plant height, and ramet number under the greater water depth compared to the 30 cm static water depth. In contrast, <em>B. planiculmis’</em> values were substantially lower under the increasing water depth than those under the 10 cm static water depth. <em>P. australis</em> exhibited an initial increase followed by a decline in response to nitrogen addition, independent of hydroperiod conditions. Conversely, under static water conditions, <em>B. planiculmis’</em> total biomass and aboveground biomass increased significantly with the addition of nitrogen. This indicates that the interaction between the nitrogen supply and the hydroperiod of wetland plants is species-specific and dependent on nitrogen availability. Although an increased nitrogen supply resulted in higher belowground biomass, plant height, and ramet and tuber numbers for <em>B. planiculmis</em> under the increasing water depth, these values were still significantly lower than those under the static water conditions. This indicates that nitrogen enrichment did not counteract the negative effects of the increasing water depth on <em>B. planiculmis’</em> growth<em>.</em> The findings of this experiment will help predict the vegetation dynamics of MNNR wetlands under future habitat changes driven by the return flow from paddy fields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8273,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Botany","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 103930"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144887149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aquatic BotanyPub Date : 2025-08-13DOI: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103929
Alena-Maria Maidel, Hendrik Schubert
{"title":"Morphological and physiological traits of two closely related charophyte species: Chara virgata Kütz. and C. globularis Thuill.","authors":"Alena-Maria Maidel, Hendrik Schubert","doi":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103929","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aquabot.2025.103929","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Charophytes (Charophyceae) are submerged macrophytes that play an important ecological role. They provide food and shelter and consequently are often used as bioindicators for water quality. However, species identification remains challenging due to purported broad morphological plasticity. This study investigates the morphological, physiological, and pigment-based acclimation behaviour of <em>Chara virgata</em> Kütz. and <em>Chara globularis</em> Thuill. under controlled light and temperature conditions in order to clarify which traits can be used for species identification. <em>Chara virgata</em> exhibited relatively stable morphological traits across all conditions, with photosynthetic responses primarily driven by light availability. Depending on the prevailing light and temperature conditions, <em>C. virgata</em> exhibited no discernible pattern of elongation in the upper row of stipulodes. In contrast, <em>C. globularis</em> displayed significant morphological plasticity, elongating internodes under low-light and at higher temperatures, with pigment composition adjusting in response to temperature conditions. Moreover, the length of the upper row of stipulodes remained constant within the experimental conditions. These differences align with their respective habitat preferences. <em>Chara virgata</em> predominantly occurs in shallow water with large fluctuations of temperature and irradiance whereas <em>C. globularis</em> prefers greater depths with more stable temperature conditions. The study further demonstrates that vegetative parameters, such as stipulode length, can vary with environmental conditions, limiting their reliability for species identification. These results emphasise the need to integrate physiological traits for a robust classification of charophyte species, and reinforce the idea of including reproductive traits in the determination keys to clearly identify these two species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8273,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Botany","volume":"202 ","pages":"Article 103929"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144842413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}