Reproduction of Hydrocharis morsus-ranae taxa in an oxbow lake of the River Vistula

Abstract

The aim of the research was to establish the density of specimens and shoots as well as the reproductive effort of Hydrocharis morsus-ranae during the whole vegetative period in a Polish oxbow lake. The following specimen features were examined: plant diameter, total length, the number of buds, flowers, young fruit, ripe fruit, turions and leaves and also dry total mass, vegetative mass, generative mass, the bud mass, the flower mass, young fruit mass and ripe fruit mass. The density of Hydrocharis morsus-ranae specimens per square metre ranged from 10 to 170 while the density of shoots ranged from 10 to 545. From one square metre overgrown with Hydrocharis morsus-ranae, a maximum of 389 turions, 50 fruit and 4000 seeds are produced. The maximum of reproductive effort is 97.8% of vegetative mass and 2.2% of generative mass in September 2010. The factors which best explain changeability of the Hydrocharis morsusranae population in time are the length and the diameter of the specimens in the population. Fruiting of Hydrocharis morsus-ranae in Poland is higher than in Canada, where it is an invasive taxon. Hydrocharis morsus-ranae is well adapted to the environment in oxbow lakes of the River Vistula and represents the S-R strategy.