Nutrient and growth responses of cattail (Typha domingensis) to redox intensity and phosphate availability

In the Florida Everglades, the expansion of cattail (Typha domingensis) into areas once dominated by sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) has been attributed to altered hydrology and phosphorus (P) enrichment. The objective of this study was to quantify the interactive effects of P availability and soil redox potential (Eh) on the growth and nutrient responses of Typha, which may help to explain its expansion.

The study examined the growth and nutrient responses of Typha to the interactive effects of P availability (10, 80 and 500 microg P L(-1)) and Eh level (-150, +150 and +600 mV). Plants were grown hydroponically in a factorial experiment using titanium (Ti(3+)) citrate as a redox buffer.

Relative growth rate, elongation, root-supported tissue/root ratio, leaf length, lateral root length and biomass, as well as tissue nutrient concentrations, were all adversely affected by low Eh conditions. P availability compensated for the negative effect of low Eh for all these variables except that low P stimulated root length and nutrient use efficiency. The most growth-promoting treatment combination was 500 microg P L(-1)/ + 600 mV.

These results, plus previous data on Cladium responses to P/Eh combinations, document that high P availability and low Eh should benefit Typha more than Cladium as the growth and tissue nutrients of the former species responded more to excess P, even under highly reduced conditions. Therefore, the interactive effects of P enrichment and Eh appear to be linked to the expansion of Typha in the Everglades Water Conservation Area 2A, where both low Eh and enhanced phosphate availability have co-occurred during recent decades.