Macrophytes' function in bio-geochemical cycling and aquatic ecosystem maintenance of homeostasis

The Homeostasis of Phosphorus (HP) in subterranean macrophytes (MP) influences the vulnerability of lakes to phase transitions; the processes connecting submerged MP HP to these alterations remain ambiguous. Eutrophication (EP) significantly affects plant stoichiometric properties and physiological condition by modifying nutrition and light accessibility in the water column. The mechanisms connecting plant functional features with the framework of ecosystems to explain the loss of submerged MPs remain inadequately clarified. Following a field examination of 25 macrophytic shallow-water lakes on the Yangtze Plain, the research established a plant trait system at the wholeplant level to identify the pivotal features of submerged MPs that exert key regulatory influence on plant phenotype. The findings indicated that Phosphorus (P) contents in organs (leaves, stems, and roots), starch, and Total Nonstructural Carbohydrate (TNC) levels were essential features. The organ starches and TNC aligned with the findings from the experiment-based networks derived from a three-month manipulation study. The mechanisms connecting the hub qualities to essential elements of ecological function were meticulously examined utilizing field investigation data. The stoichiometric HP, starch, and TNC positively correlated with species predominance and population at the species scale and neighborhood population at the group level. Diminished community biomass and elevated nutrient levels and nutrient ratios in plants resulting from EP suggest reducing the carbon sink within biomass, which promotes litter breakdown rates and the cycling of nutrients. Modifying plant reactions to EP reveals stoichiometric and physiological responses that connect plant traits with the environmental framework, which has significant consequences for comprehending ecological processes. These findings aid in the effective management of restoring submerged MPs and environmental offerings.