Development of a partitioned-biomass model for rooted macrophyte growth

Many surface waters support excessive growth of several rooted macrophyte species. This paper presents a macrophyte growth model to facilitate modeling the growth of several macrophyte species which exhibit distinct patterns of growth and development. The model partitions the biomass of each species according to the phenological stages of plant development including growth, maturation, senescence, and dormancy. The partitioned-biomass model was demonstrated for the growth of Elodea canadensis Michx. and Potamogeton crispus L. in Spring Creek, a shallow fourth-order stream in central Pennsylvania. The structure of the model could be adapted to a wide variety of macrophytes and aquatic ecosystems.