Latitudinal influences on the depths of maximum colonization and maximum biomass of submerged angiosperms in lakes

Both water transparency and lake latitude influence the depths of maximum biomass and maximum depth of colonization of submerged plants. The differences in the depth distribution of plants in lakes differing in water transparency become more pronounced as latitude decreases. Changes in transparency in low-latitude lakes should result in greater changes in macrophyte cover than similar changes in lakes at higher latitudes. Maximum depth of colonization appears to be largely a function of water transparency, whereas the depth of maximum biomass is best related to latitude. -from Authors