Water Level Effects on Grwoth of Melaleuca Seedlings from Lake Okeechobee (Florida, USA) Littoral Zone

摘要

The invasive exotic wetland tree, Melaleuca quinquenervia, is expanding rapidly throughout seasonally wet areas of southern Florida (USA), including the littoral zone of Lake Okeechobee, Natural resoruce managers are concerned that a lower lake level regulation schedule udner consideration for Lake Okeechobee, while potentially beneficial to overall ecosystem health, might increase the rate of Melaleuca expansion. To investigate this possibility, Melaleuca saplings (harvested from the littoral zone) and 7-weekold seedlins (grown from harvested seeds) were subjected to various hydroperiod treatments in replicated mesocosms. Hydroperiod treatments were selected based on a simulation of historical water level variations.