Morphological responses of two plant species from different elevations in the Dongting Lake wetlands, China, to variation in water levels

Plants show strong zonation patterns in wetlands. Nevertheless, the mechanisms determining these patterns remain unclear. In the present study, growth and morphological responses to a water level gradient [-20 cm (i.e., water level 20 cm below soil surface), -10 cm, 0 cm, 10 cm, 20 cm] were compared between a higher elevation plant (Imperata cylindrica) and a lower elevation plant (Carex brevicuspis) in the Dongting Lake wetlands of China. The aboveground, belowground, and total biomass were greater at -10 cm than at any other water level for bot