Mclay, Colin. (1976).

The effect of pH on the population growth of three species of

duckweed: Spirodela oligorrhiza, Lemna minor and Wolffia arrhiza. Freshwater
Biology. 6. 125-136. 10.1111/j.1365-2427.1976.tb01596.x. Three species of duckweed,
Spirodela oligorrhiza, Lemna minor and Wolffia arrhiza were grown under aseptic
conditions on both buffered and unbuffered solutions of Jacob's media. Media with
manually regulated pH levels were also used. Growth on unbuffered media is
initially rapid but eventually inhibited, probably by increased pH levels. On
buffered media growth is poor and effects of buffers connot be separated out. These
media give inadequate pictures of the species' responses to changes in pH. Growth
is mosl successful on media with regulated pH where sustained logarithmic
population increases were achieved. Spirodela and Lemna rates are symmetrical about
an almost neutral, optimal pH, declining fairly rapidly away from the optimum.
Wolffia has an optimum at pH 5 and growth declined with increasing pH. All three
species have optima at, or below, the neutral point. The range of tolerance of
duckweeds is broader than has previously been suspected. Estimated lower limits,
optimum and upper limits for each species are: Wolffia, pH 4-5'0-10, Lemna pH 4-
6'2-10, Spirodela pH 3-7'0-10. Growth rate along a pH gradient is best described by
means of polynomial equations: second-degree equations are sufficient for Spirodela
and Lemna but a fifth degree equation is required for Wolffia. Rates of
population growth are similar for all species. In decreasing order they are:
Wolffia, Lemna, Spirodela. However, in biomass units Lemna grew more than six and
Spirodela seventeen times faster than Wolffia.