ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Two Simultaneously Occurring Potamogeton
Species: Similarities and Differences in Seasonal
Changes of Biomechanical Properties
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1
Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
2
Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
Submission date: 2017-09-29
Final revision date: 2017-11-30
Acceptance date: 2018-02-10
Online publication date: 2018-08-13
Publication date: 2018-11-20
Corresponding author
Anna Maria Łoboda
Institute of Geophysics of Polish Academy of Sciences, Księcia Janusza 64, 01-452 Warsaw, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2019;28(1):237-253
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ABSTRACT
Two common Potamogeton species, Potamogeton pectinatus L. and Potamogeton crispus L.,
were collected in 2016 and 2017 from a lowland, sandy bed in the Wilga River in Poland to investigate
the ability of the plants to adapt to changing hydrological conditions. Measurements included
biomechanical properties as well as the morphological characteristics of their stems. Specifically,
experiments included three-point bending and tension tests as well as stem diameter and cross-sectional
morphology at various periods in the plants’ life cycles. Detailed information about the seasonal changes in
biomechanical traits and the similarities between the two investigated plants are presented. The data show
significant differences in the three-point bending and tension parameters. The flexural rigidity proved
to be the most sensitive parameter to changes in hydrological conditions during the season. The maximum
forces in the three-point bending tests needed to complete the fracture of P. crispus were much higher,
reaching values up to 0.097 N, than those for P. pectinatus (0.035 N), due to P. crispus having thicker
shoots, which resulted in greater resistance to elastic deformity. Moreover, the modulus of elasticity
values shows that P. pectinatus is much more prone to return to its original shape after the removal of
the acting forces. For instance, the maximum Young’s modulus for P. pectinatus was 116.23 MPa, whereas for
P. crispus, the highest value was four times lower (26.60 MPa). The present study supplements an aquatic
plant biomechanics database that has been created in recent years.