To Float or Not to Float: How Interactions between Light and Dissolved Inorganic Carbon Species Determine the Buoyancy of Stratiotes aloides.

Structural diversity formed by dense, floating Stratiotes aloides stands, generates hotspots of biodiversity of flora and fauna in wetlands. However, only part of the populations become emergent and provide this important facilitation. Since it has been hypothesised that its buoyancy depends on the rates of underwater photosynthesis, we investigated the role of dissolved CO2 availability and PAR on photosynthesis, biomass production and buoyancy in a controlled greenhouse experiment.