Publication

Explaining multiple patches of aquatic vegetation through linear stability analysis

Giulio Calvani
2022
Journal paper
Abstract

Aquatic vegetation is ubiquitous in lowland rivers, and it is typically present in the shape of spatial self-organized patches of biomass. In this work, we mathematically define the threshold conditions for the incipient formation of self-organized vegetated patterns in the shape of central or multiple row patches. The analysis is carried out through a linear stability analysis whereby the 2D eco-hydrodynamic model is linearized and the growth rate of small-scale perturbations is evaluated considering a basic state represented by an initially uniformly vegetated and straight channel having a certain aspect ratio and Froude number. Results illustrate that, for given vegetation properties, instability arises when both the Froude number and the aspect ratio are higher than a given threshold; in this case, self-organization occurs, and spatial patterns of patches will develop according to the wavelength associated to the maximum growth rate. Moreover, instability and self-organization take place when the undisturbed vegetation density is lower than upper bound; this suggests that densely vegetated channels, as in the case of rivers populated by invasive species, will not experience the formation of any spatial patterns.

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Ontological neighbourhood
Related concepts (36)
Invasive species
An invasive or alien species is an introduced species to an environment that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native species that become harmful to their native environment after human alterations to its food web - for example, the purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) which has decimated kelp forests along the northern California coast due to overharvesting of its natural predator, the California sea otter (Enhydra lutris).
Aquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that grows in or near water and is either emergent, submergent, or floating. In lakes and rivers macrophytes provide cover for fish, substrate for aquatic invertebrates, produce oxygen, and act as food for some fish and wildlife.
Aquatic ecosystem
An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem found in and around a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms—aquatic life—that are dependent on each other and on their environment. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater ecosystems may be lentic (slow moving water, including pools, ponds, and lakes); lotic (faster moving water, for example streams and rivers); and wetlands (areas where the soil is saturated or inundated for at least part of the time).
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