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Population Growth and Competition on Aquatic Lemna sp. and Spirodela sp.

Shannen Krishna S. Sena

Group Star, Sec. B-3L

March 14, 2016

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A scientific paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements in Principles of
Ecology laboratory under Prof. Aimee Lynn A. Barrion-Dupo, 2nd sem., 2015-2016.
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ABSTRACT
The effects of different types of competitions and levels of carrying
capacity on the population growth of the pure and mixed cultures of
Lemna sp. and Spirodela sp. were determined over a span of 27 days.
Two treatments were used in this study, (A) tap water medium and (B)
soil and tap water medium. The pure culture of Lemna sp. and
Spirodela sp. on both treatments, with a population of (A) 46, (B) 203
and (A) 32, (B) 80 fronds, respectively, multiplied greater compared to
the mixed culture, with a population of (A) 20, (B) 12 and (A) 20, (B)
91 fronds, respectively. This was because of a higher carrying capacity
on (A) and a lower carrying capacity on (B). It was also observed that
both cultures of the two plant species and the mixed culture of
Spirodela sp. grew a larger population size on treatment B yet the
mixed culture of Lemna sp. had a low population as it was negatively
affected by Spirodela sp. caused by the interspecific competition that
occurred. On the other hand, the pure cultures of both species was
positively affected by the intraspecific competition that occurred
because it exhibited a larger population compared to the mixed culture.
Thus, the different types of competition and levels of carrying capacity
greatly influences the population growth of the plant species.

INTRODUCTION

In 1798, Thomas Malthus observed that the population growth of humans increased

exponentially unless limited by the availability of food resources (Malthus, 1978). He then

predicted that there will come a time that the availability of food resources will not be able to

sustain the entire human population because of the ratio between the growth of human and food

resources which grows exponentially and arithmetically, respectively. In 1838, Charles Darwin

observed this same population growth pattern on almost all plants and animals when provided

with the proper amount of resources. He then concluded on his theory of natural selection that

the fittest individuals are the ones that can survive situations of insufficient resources and

malentities, and therefore can most likely pass their traits to the next generation through

reproduction (O’ Neil, 2013; Darwin, 1859). From these statements, two kinds of population
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growth was observed. First is the exponential growth, as stated by Malthus, which is the growth

that continues to increase in a doubling pattern without being delimited by resources. Second is

the logistic growth that is the growth which is limited by the carrying capacity of the

environment.

The carrying capacity is the maximum population of a given species that can survive

indefinitely in a given environment (The Sustainable Scale Project). The carrying capacity

causes death and birth on a population because it is the stable equilibrium of population size

(McGinley, 2013). Also, it leads to a competition among the same and different species. In this

experiment, an interspecific and intraspecific type of competition were observed. Interspecific is

the competition between different species while intraspecific is the competition between species

of the same kind. Since most organisms compete with one another, some survive and pass their

traits to the next generation while some dies. This natality and mortality of organisms influences

the population growth of organisms. Thus, the hypothesis for this study is that the type of

competition and the carrying capacity of an environment greatly affects the population growth of

the plant species.

To observe the influence of different type of competitions and level of carrying capacity

on the population growth of organisms, the free floating aquatic plants of Lemna sp. and

Spirodela sp. was used in the study because they exhibit continuous growth unlike most plants

whose life cycles have discrete jumps in population size (Harper, 1977).

This study aimed to determine the population growth and competition among Lemna sp.

and Spirodela sp.. The specific objectives were to:

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1. demonstrate changes in the populations of pure and mixed cultures of Lemna sp. and

Spirodela sp.;

2. compare the growth of Lemna sp. and Spirodela sp. in different types of media; and

3. determine the effects of intraspecific and interspecific competition on both species.

The study was conducted at Room C-205, Institute of Biological Sciences, Biological

Sciences Building of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Banos,

Laguna from January 21 to February 17, 2016.

METHODOLOGY

The duration of the observation was 27 days. The aquatic plants were observed in a

greenhouse near the parking lot of the Institute of Biological Sciences Building.

In preparation of the observation, six culture jars without lids were used as the container

of the aquatic plant species. The jars were separated into two treatments. Three jars were poured

with 50 mL tap water (Treatment A) while the remaining three jars were transferred with 50 mL

tap water and 5 grams of soil each (Treatment B). One jar each from treatments A and B were

introduced with eight fronds of Lemna sp. picked with forceps and another jar from both

treatments was presented with eight fronds of Spirodela sp. These jars represented the pure

culture of Lemna sp. and Spirodela sp. separately with an initial population of 8. The remaining

jars from each treatment were introduced with a mixture of four fronds of Lemna sp. and four

fronds of Spirodela sp.. These represented the mixed culture of both species with an initial

number of 8. All the jars were covered with a gauze secured with a rubber band for aeration. The

fronds were made sure that each was freely floating on the medium.
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8L 8S 4 L and 4 S 8L 8S 4 L and 4 S

Treatment A (50 mL tap water) Treatment B (50 mL tap water + 5 g soil

Figure 1. Illustration of the set-ups with different treatments

After preparation, the jars were brought to the greenhouse for further observation. The

number of fronds on each jars were counted every other day for 27 days. In counting, the fronds

which were half the size of the old fronds were considered a new individual while the fronds that

were yellow and dried up already were not included in the counting. There were instances where

fronds were attached to each other, some fronds that were of the same size were counted as two,

while those with a wide range of size difference were counted as one.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table 1 displays the population growth of the pure and mixed cultures of Lemna sp. and

Spirodela sp. It was observed that there is an evident increase on the population size of the pure

cultures of Lemna sp. and Spirodela sp. on a medium with soil and tap water while there was a

minimum increase or inactivity to some pure cultures of both species with a tap water medium.

From an initial population of 8, Lemna sp. on a tap water medium increased to 46 fronds which

was lesser as compared to the 203 final population size on the soil and tap water medium. On

Spirodela sp., the medium with soil and tap water had a higher increase, which was from 8
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fronds to 80 fronds, compared to the tap water medium with 32 fronds only. On the mixed

cultures, it was perceived that there was an inactivity on one species as the other species

multiplies. From the data of the mixed culture (A) with a treatment of tap water, the inactivity of

Spirodela sp. was observed with a population size of 20 from the 14th up to the last day as the

Lemna sp. increases gradually until 20 fronds. Also on the mixed culture (B) treated with soil

and tap water, the Lemna sp. were stable with a population of 12 from the 22nd day until the 27th

day relative to the evident increase on the Spirodela sp. that had 91 fronds from an initial

population of 4.

Table 1. Population growth of pure culture and mixed culture of Lemna sp. and Spirodela sp.

Observation Date of Age of Population Size

Number Observation Culture
(Days)
Lemna Pure Spirodela Mixed Mixed
Cultures Pure Culture Cultures of Cultures B
A
A B A B L S L S

1 1/21/2016 1 8 8 8 8 4 4 4 4

2 1/25/2016 4 16 13 19 16 5 9 3 10

3 1/27/2016 6 19 19 20 17 9 9 5 17

4 1/29/2016 8 21 20 28 26 10 16 6 20

5 2/1/2016 11 21 23 34 33 10 18 9 24

6 2/3/2016 13 27 27 34 40 14 19 8 33

7 2/4/2016 14 34 40 35 42 15 20 10 36

8 2/8/2016 18 43 77 34 53 17 20 10 43

9 2/10/2016 20 44 111 34 61 18 20 11 46

10 2/12/2016 22 45 141 32 63 19 20 12 50

11 2/15/2016 25 45 168 32 70 19 20 12 59

12 2/17/2016 27 46 203 32 80 20 20 12 91
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After the gathering of data stated on Table 1, the instantaneous rate of growth ( r ) at each

observation interval on the pure and mixed cultures of Lemna sp. and Spirodela sp. was

computed using the formula below:

𝑁(𝑡+1)
𝑟 = 𝑙𝑛𝜆 𝜆= where 𝜆= annual finite rate of increase 𝑁𝑡

Nt= population in time t

N(t+1)= population at the next observation day

Table 2 indicates the instantaneous rates of growth ( r ) of pure and mixed cultures of

both species in each stated interval. The instantaneous rates of growth were related to the

different phases of population growth that Todar mentioned in his study. He mentioned four

phase which were lag phase, exponential phase, stationary phase and death phase. He stated that

the lag phase is a point at the start where the population remains unchanged as it synthesizes

enzymes and other substances necessary for its survival in its environment. In relation to the

instantaneous rate of growth, this was present when r values are 0 but from the computed data

there was no instance observed. The exponential phase is the portion where the species were

multiplying at a constant rate. It was observed on the r values of the 3-4 until the 7-8 observation

intervals of the pure culture of Lemna sp. on a soil and tap water medium which was increasing

evidently. The stationary phase is the time when the population is no longer increasing or

decreasing. Toddar stated that it was due to the exhaustion of nutrients and space and

accumulation of end products. This was related to the carrying capacity of the environment as

McGinley stated that it is the population size at which the population growth rate equals zero.

Similar with the lag phase, the stationary phase was observed when the r values are 0. It was
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markedly detected on the 7-8 to 11-12 observation intervals of the mixed culture of Spirodela sp.

treated with tap water. It was also observed on the 10-11 and 11-12 intervals of the Spirodela sp.

pure culture with a tap water medium and the mixed culture of Lemna sp. on a soil and tap water

medium. Lastly, the death phase which is a portion where a decrease on population is seen. The

values with r values less than 0 corresponds to the death phase which was seen on some portion

of the observation intervals although usually it occurs after the stationary phase.

Table 2. Computed instantaneous rates of growth (r) of pure and mixed cultures of Lemna sp. and
Spirodela sp.

Observation Age Population size

Interval range of
Culture
at the
given
interval
Lemna Pure Spirodela Pure Mixed Mixed
Cultures Culture Cultures of A Cultures B
A B A B L S L S
1-2 1 0.69 0.49 0.86 0.69 0.22 0.81 -0.29 0.92
2-3 4 0.17 0.38 0.05 0.06 0.59 0 0.51 0.53
3-4 6 0.10 0.05 0.34 0.42 0.11 0.58 0.18 0.16
4-5 8 0 0.14 0.19 0.24 0 0.12 0.41 0.18
5-6 11 0.25 0.16 0 0.19 0.34 0.05 -0.12 0.32
6-7 13 0.23 0.39 0.03 0.05 0.07 0.05 0.22 0.09
7-8 14 0.23 0.65 -0.03 0.23 0.13 0 0 0.18
8-9 18 0.02 0.37 0 0.14 0.06 0 0.10 0.07
9-10 20 0.02 0.24 -0.06 0.03 0.05 0 0.09 0.08
10-11 22 0 0.18 0 0.11 0 0 0 0.17
11-12 25 0.02 0.19 0 0.13 0.05 0 0 0.43

Figure 2 illustrates the population growth curve of pure and mixed culture of Lemna sp.

grown in tap water. It was seen that the growth curve of the pure culture exhibited a larger
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population size compared to the mixed culture. Considering the fact that the pure culture

underwent intraspecific competition while the mixed culture experienced interspecific

competition, intraspecific competition caused a lower population growth. The growth curve of

the pure and mixed culture of Spirodela sp. exhibited an S curve that was more evident on the

pure culture. This correlated to a logistic growth type on where the population grew slowly until

it increased at a higher rate and then stabilizes at the latter part as it reached the carrying capacity

of their own environment.

50
45
40
35 Pure culture of
30 Lemna sp.
25
20 Mixed culture
15
10
5
0
1 4 6 8 11 13 14 18 20 22 25 27

Figure 2. Population growth curve of pure and mixed culture of Lemna sp. grown in tap water

(Treatment A).

Figure 3 displays the population growth curve of pure and mixed culture of Spirodela sp.

grown in tap water. Similar to the population growth curve on Figure 2, the population size of

the pure culture of Spirodela sp. was larger compared to the mixed culture because interspecific

competition was more intense compared to the intraspecific competition that occurred in the pure

culture. Both cultures exhibited a logistic growth type even though it was not an evident S curve

yet it was clearly seen that the population increases gradually before it reached the carrying
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capacity of the environment it was enclosed to. Meanwhile, there was a gradual decrease

observed to some portion of the curve of the pure culture. This described the death phase that

Todar stated.

40
35
30
Pure culture of
25
Spirodela sp.
20
15
Mixed culture
10
5
0
1 4 6 8 11 13 14 18 20 22 25 27

Figure 3. Population growth curve of pure and mixed culture of Spirodela sp. grown in tap water

(Treatment A).

Figure 4 shows the population growth curve of pure and mixed culture of Lemna sp.

grown in a soil and tap water medium. As observed, the pure culture of Lemna sp. increased

geometrically as the age increased despite the intraspecific competition that it experienced. It

was evident that the pure culture of Lemna sp. exhibited a J- curve correlating to an exponential

growth where the population continue to increase in a doubling manner. Thus, the Lemna sp. had

not yet reached the carrying capacity of its environment as it remained to increase exponentially.

On the other hand, the mixed culture had a very stable population size with only a very minimal

increase implying that it had already reached the carrying capacity of its environment.
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250

200

150 Pure culture of

Lemna sp.
100 Mixed culture

50

0
1 4 6 8 11 13 14 18 20 22 25 27

Figure 4. Population growth curve of pure and mixed culture of Lemna sp. grown in soil + tap

water (Treatment B).

Figure 5 exhibits the population growth curve of pure and mixed culture of Spirodela sp.

grown in a soil and tap water medium. Considering the graph, the pure and mixed culture of

Spirodela sp. grew exponentially without exhibiting any limit. In relation to the stable curve of

Lemna sp. with a low population size on Figure 4, the Spirodela sp. negatively affected the other

species as it competed with Lemna sp. on a mixed culture since the results of the population size

of both species had a big difference. On the other hand, the Lemna sp. positively affected the

growth of the Spirodela sp. in a mixed culture with a soil and tap water medium. Also, it was

noticeable that the mixed culture had a larger population growth compared to the pure culture of

Spirodela sp.. There were no stationary phases observed and thus both cultures had not reached

the carrying capacity of their environment yet.

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100
90
80
70
60 Pure culture of
50 Lemna sp.
40
Mixed culture
30
20
10
0
1 4 6 8 11 13 14 18 20 22 25 27

Figure 5. Population growth curve of pure and mixed culture of Spirodela sp. grown in soil + tap

water (Treatment B).

Regarding the carrying capacity of the different treatments, it was observed that the

treatment with a soil and tap water medium had a higher carrying capacity, as witnessed on

Figure 4 and 5 when the culture continued to grow geometrically, compared to the medium with

tap water only, where the trends were stabilizing on the latter days because of the lower carrying

capacity of their environment. Since carrying capacity is related to the stationary phase, which

was caused by the exhaustion of nutrients and space, it was implied that the carrying capacity of

the treatment with tap water only was lower because it did not provide enough nutrients

necessary to sustain a larger population size compared to the treatment with soil and tap water

that was able to sustain a larger population size because of the soil.

On the effects of competition on the plants species, interspecific competition was

observed as Spirodela sp. negatively affected the Lemna sp. on both treatments of the mixed

culture. From Table 1, it was observed that the mixed culture of Spirodela sp. on a tap water

medium reached the carrying capacity, which was 20, of its environment first while the Lemna
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sp. had just reached the carrying capacity on the last day of the observation. On the soil and tap

water medium, the negative effect of Spirodela sp. on the Lemna sp. was evidently observed as

the Spirodela sp. had a final population of 91 compared to the 12 fronds of Lemna sp.

Furthermore, the intraspecific competition among pure cultures of both species positively

affected each species since as observed on the figures above, pure cultures exhibited a higher

trend compared to the mixed cultures. Also, Spirodela sp. was observed to have an S-shaped

curve which signified that it performed a logistic growth while the Lemna sp. had a J- shaped

curve which explained an exponential growth.

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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

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The population growth and competition on aquatic Lemna sp. and Spirodela sp. was

determined through observing pure and mixed cultures of both species in different treatment

medium, also considering the changes in the population of the pure and mixed cultures of the

species, the growth of the species in different types of medium and the effect of intraspecific and

interspecific competition on both species. As to the preparation, there were six culture jars in

which three were poured with 50 mL tap water while the other three were added with 50 mL tap

water and 5 g of soil. One jar from each treatment were introduced with 8 fronds of Lemna sp..

Another jar from each treatment were presented with 8 fronds of Spirodela sp. The two jars from

each treatment represented the pure culture that was studied with an initial population of 8. The

remaining one jar from each treatment represented the mixed culture that was observed in the

study. The jars were introduced with 4 fronds of Lemna sp. and 4 fronds of Spirodela sp. The

jars were covered with a gauze secured with a rubber band for aeration. After the preparation, the

jars were then ready for observation. The number of fronds were counted every other day for 27

days. The gathered data were computed for interpretation. As observed, the pure culture of both

species had a larger population size from an initial population of 8 compared to the mixed culture

that already reached the carrying capacity at an earlier age of culture days. Evidently, the pure

culture of Lemna sp. and Spirodela sp. and the mixed culture of Spirodela sp. exhibited a larger

population size on the treatment with soil and tap water as compared to the tap water medium.

This was due to the availability of nutrients provided by the former medium (soil and water)

which had a higher carrying capacity to sustain a greater number of plant species compared to

the latter medium which only contained water as a source of nutrient. Also as the population

increased, an exhaustion of available space also occurred. Meanwhile, the mixed culture of

Lemna sp., which was grown on a tap water medium, had a close number of population size with
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the Spirodela sp., however, the Spirodela sp. had reached the carrying capacity of the

environment at an earlier age of culture days as compared to the Lemna sp. that had only reached

the carrying capacity at the last day of observation. Moreover, the treatment with soil and tap

water medium had a lesser number of Lemna sp. population relative to the population of

Spirodela sp. with a wide difference between the two. In relation to the effects of interspecific

competition on the plants, this just implied that the Spirodela sp. had a negative effect on the

population growth of Lemna sp. and the Lemna sp. positively affected the population growth of

Spirodela sp. From these inferences, it can be said that the type of competition and the level of

carrying capacity greatly influences the population growth of the plant species.

LITERATURE CITED

Harper, J.L. (1977). Population biology of plants (p. 235). Academic Press. New York.

Malthus, T. (1798). An essay on the principle of population (pp. 33-34). Electronic Scholarly
Publishing Project. London

McGinley, M. (2013). Carrying capacity. The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved March 15, 2016,
from http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/150943

O’Neil, D. (2013). Darwin and natural selection. Retrieved March 10, 2016, from
http://anthro.palomar.edu/evolve/evolve_2.htm

Sustainable Scale Project. (n.d.). Carrying capacity. The Sustainable Scale Project. Retrieved
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March 15, 2016, from

http://www.sustainablescale.org/ConceptualFramework/UnderstandingScale/MeasuringS
cale/CarryingCapacity.aspx

Todar, K. (n.d.). The Bacterial Growth Curve. Todar’s Online Textbook of Bacteriology.
Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://textbookofbacteriology.net/growth_3.html