Cumulative Emergence Height Dominates Biomass Accumulation From Wetland Species Under Flood Conditions
ABSTRACT Flooding is a critical driver of wetland plant growth. However, studies still often consider water depth or submergence duration in isolation. This limits our understanding of how hydrological variation affects plant performance. To address this, we have introduced cumulative emergence height (CEH) as a novel integrative parameter. This is defined as the product of emergence height above the water surface and the duration of emergence and quantifies the combined influence of hydrological exposure on wetland vegetation. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of CEH in predicting biomass accumulation and physiological responses of wetland plants under flood conditions. We investigated four dominant wetland species ( Phragmites australis , Persicaria hydropiper , Phalaris arundinacea and Carex brevicuspis ) in the Dongting Lake floodplain under four water levels (−30, 0, 30 and 60 cm) and three time points (45, 90 and 135 days). We measured aboveground and belowground biomass, leaf area, chlorophyll a and b concentration and nitrogen and phosphorus concentration. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS‐PM) was used to explore direct and indirect relationships between CEH and plant traits. Biomass and leaf area were significantly positively correlated with CEH, while chlorophyll and nitrogen concentrations showed negative correlations. CEH promoted biomass accumulation by increasing leaf area and individual number, and by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. Species showed contrasting strategies: P. australis and P. hydropiper maintained consistent biomass growth, while P. arundinacea and C. brevicuspis peaked and declined under prolonged submergence. CEH effectively integrates flood depth and duration into a single, ecologically meaningful parameter. It is a useful predictor of plant growth and physiological responses under dynamic flood conditions in the Dongting Lake wetland. As the study was limited to four species from a single wetland system, the findings apply primarily to similar ecological contexts.
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