Floating-leaved plant biomass

Floating-leaved plant biomass is the average weight of fresh, live floating-leaved plants growing in one square meter of a lake's bottom area. The measurement of floating-leaved plant biomass in a waterbody is one of several measurements that can be used to assess a waterbody's overall biological productivity.

IN FLORIDA
Average floating-leaved plant biomass in Florida lakes generally ranges from 0 to 19 kg (42 lbs.) wet wt/m². It appears to be linked with a waterbody's biological productivity. This relationship can be summarized as follows:

in biologically unproductive (oligotrophic) lakes, the average floating-leaved plant biomass is about 1.0 kg (2.2 lbs.) wet wt/m²;

in moderately productive (mesotrophic) lakes, the average floating-leaved plant biomass is about 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs.) wet wt/m²;

in highly productive (eutrophic) lakes, the average floating-leaved plant biomass is about 2.0 kg (4.4 lbs.) wet wt/m²;

in the most highly productive (hypereutrophic) lakes, the average floating-leaved plant biomass is about 3.0 kg (6.6 lbs.) wet wt/m².

See also:
Average plant biomass
Biological productivity
Trophic states and each of its categories:
Oligotrophic, Mesotrophic, Eutrophic, and Hypereutrophic

The information on this page was derived in part from the following publication of
Florida Lakewatch of the University of Florida Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
This booklet may be downloaded in its entirety as a PDF file by clicking here.
Scroll down till you see the Circular 101 icon.

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