Process-based modeling to assess the nutrient removal efficiency of two endangered hydrophytes: Linking nutrient-cycle with a multiple-quotas approach

Hydrophytes have been widely used to reduce nutrient levels in aquatic ecosystems, but only limited species with high nutrient removal efficiencies have been implemented. Thus, it is necessary to continually explore new candidate species with high nutrient removal efficiencies. To effectively explore the nutrient removal ability of hydrophytes, a new process-based model combining the multiple-quotas approach and nutrient-cycle model was developed. The multiple-quotas approach provides a theoretical framework to conceptually explain the uptake and response of autotrophs to multiple nutrients. The developed process-based model was validated using observational data from microcosm experiments with two emergent hydrophytes, Menyanthes trifoliata and Cicuta virosa. The results showed that both M. trifoliata and C. virosa effectively reduced nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in both water and sediment layers, but M. trifoliata showed a higher removal efficiency for both nutrients than C. virosa, particularly for total ammonia + ammonium-nitrogen (NH_x-N) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N) in the sediment layer (M. trifoliata: 0.579–0.976 for NH_x-N, 0.567–0.702 for NO₃-N; C. virosa: 0.212–0.501 for NH_x-N, 0.466–0.560 for NO₃-N). In addition, M. trifoliata achieved the maximum removal efficiency for N and P at higher nutrient exposure levels than C. virosa (M. trifoliata: exposure level of 0.725–0.775; C. virosa: exposure level of 0.550–0.575). The developed model well simulated the species-specific growth patterns of hydrophytes depending on the nutrient exposure level as well as the N and P dynamics in the water and sediment layers. The approach adopted in this study provides a useful tool for discovering candidate species to improve hydrophyte diversity and effectively remove nutrients from aquatic ecosystems.