The importance of intraspecific diversity on duckweed growth with and without salt stress
The pollution of freshwater ecosystems is threatening freshwater plant species diversity worldwide. Freshwater plants, such as duckweed (Lemna minor), are potentially sensitive to novel stressful environments. To test if intraspecific diversity could increase resistance to stressful environments, I used seven L. minor populations and assessed their growth rates in the absence and presence of moderate salt stress across an intraspecific diversity gradient.I grew the populations (ecotypes) of L. minor over five months in 92 experimental mesocosms in a glasshouse either in ecotype monocultures or in polyculture with either one or three conspecific ecotypes (23 unique compositions). The experiment was conducted in semi-natural conditions, including a natural community of algae and microbes. After assessing the duckweed growth rate in unperturbed conditions, the cultures were subjected to moderate salt stress (50mM NaCl) for several weeks. Population abundances were assessed weekly, both on the ecotype level and the whole-population level.Throughout the experiment, the ecotypes differed in their growth rates, the fastest growing at twice the rate of others. Whether the ecotypes grew in monoculture or in polyculture with other conspecifics further shaped the ecotype growth rates. Ecotype polycultures showed higher abundances towards the end of the experiment, indicating that over time, as the environment deteriorated, intraspecific diversity gained in importance. These findings show that intraspecific variation in growth rates can translate to a positive effect of intraspecific diversity on whole-population abundance. Exposure of L. minor to moderate salt levels did not significantly impact growth rates.