The effect of pH on the population growth of three species of duckweed: Spirodela oligorrhiza, Lemna minor and Wolffia arrhiza

Summary 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 cannot be separated out. These media give inadequate pictures of the species’ responses to changes in pH. Growth is most 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.