Interactive Effects of Flooding Duration and Sediment Texture on the Growth and Adaptation of Three Plant Species in the Poyang Lake Wetland

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Flooding duration and sediment texture were designed in the study to consider the response of hygrophilous plants to environmental dynamics, which involved three plant species commonly found in the Poyang Lake wetland. The results highlight that sediment texture plays a crucial role in the growth and adaptation of hygrophilous plants, although it exhibited a weaker effect than flooding duration. Additionally, sediment texture mediates flooding to affect plant stressing response and survival. Moreover, sediment texture forms interactive effects with flooding duration and has direct influences on hygrophilous plants. Our study helps provide theoretical insights from a more scientific perspective for the prediction of hygrophilous plant dynamics and to facilitate the formulation of wetland management. ABSTRACT: Flooding duration and sediment texture play vital roles in the growth and adaptation of wetland plants. However, there is a lack of research on the interactive effects of flooding duration and sediments on wetland plants. A two-factor experiment with flooding duration and sediment texture was designed in the study, involving three plant species commonly found in the Poyang Lake wetland (i.e., Carex cinerascens, Phalaris arundinacea, and Polygonum criopolitanum). Our findings were as follows: (i) Sediments play a crucial role in the growth and adaptation of hygrophilous plants, but they exhibited a weaker effect than flooding. (ii) Sediment texture mediates flooding to affect the stressing responses of wetland plant functional traits, including the leaf chlorophyll content, the plant height, and the number of leaves and ramets. (iii) Sediment texture forms interactive effects with flooding duration and directly influences hygrophilous plants. The results of this study help provide theoretical insights from a more scientific perspective for the prediction of hygrophilous plant dynamics and to facilitate the formulation of wetland management.