Growth Assessments of Starry Stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa) in Various Substrate Types for Large-scale Cultivation Studies
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare multiple substrate types to optimize cultivation conditions for the invasive macroalga Nitellopsis obtusa (Desv. in Loisel.) J. Groves, commonly known as starry stonewort. Large-scale cultivation will allow for tiered approaches to management evaluation research while minimizing the influence of confounding variables. Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), including macrophytes and macroalga, are important components to a healthy aquatic ecosystem as it directly impacts the biogeochemical cycle along with the surrounding biological community structure and provides valuable ecological services (Sand-Jensen and Borum 1991). A diverse SAV community provides food and shelter for aquatic and terrestrial organisms, oxygenates the water column, and stabilizes sediment in the littoral zone (Carpenter and Lodge 1986; Dibble et al. 1996; Jeppesen et al. 1997). These effects are similar for vascular aquatic plant and charophyte populations, which often grow together to form a healthy and diverse community (Kovtun-Kante et al. 2014). However, the establishment of invasive SAV species can greatly diminish these ecological benefits by reducing native plant growth, water quality, and increasing sedimentation and nutrient loading (Madsen 2009). In North America, the charophyte starry stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa) is a prominent example of an aquatic invasive species that induces these detrimental changes to SAV dynamics and threatens the stability of littoral ecosystems (Pullman and Crawford 2010; Larkin et al. 2018). Starry stonewort is a green macroalgae native to Europe and Asia and is similar in appearance to other macroalgae including other stoneworts and muskgrass (Pokrzywinski et al. 2020a). Starry stonewort is much larger, however, with stem and branch cells about 1 mm in diameter and stems over 80 cm in length (Sher-Kaul et al. 1995).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1169894
Entities
People
- Bradley T. Sartain
- Briana M. Fernando
- Christopher R. Grasso
- Kaitlin Volk
- Kaytee L. Pokrzywinski
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center