MORPHOLOGICAL-CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AQUATIC MACROPHYTE, MYRIOPHYLLUM SPICATUM L, IN FISH LAKE, WISCONSIN

Several morphological attributes of individual Myriophyllum spicatum L. plants were studied during three summers in Fish Lake, Dane County, Wisconsin to document spatial and temporal dynamics. Measurements were taken from twelve randomly-selected plants at each of four depth intervals along two transects on five dates during each year from 1990 to 1992. Density, length, foliation, and biomass attributes of stems and branches were each influenced somewhat differently by depth and location. Plants growing in deep water were long and thin, while plants growing in shallow water were shorter and more robust, with greater relative amounts of foliation. Plants at most locations increased in length, but percent of total plant length (and biomass) comprised of foliated stem decreased over time.