Question:

What are some of the factors which can influence weed growth in creeks?

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does the pH or tubidity of the water effect whether weeds may grow in a creek?

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  1. both do, but the main factor is sunlight


  2. Those could both be contributing factors, and there are others as well.

    All living organisms have a pH range in which they have optimal growth, and once you get outside that range, the growth can slow down, or the plant die.  The exact range will vary with the species, so what may be optimal for one, might cause another type to die out.

    Turbidity refers to the clarity of the water, and anything which causes the water to be murky or colored will change the distance to which light (or at least certain wavelengths of the light) can penetrate.  This would affect the ability of a plant to use photosynthesis.

    Some other contributing factors would be nutrient availability (if the creek runs through an agricultural area where fertilizers are washed into the creek or sewage is discharged into the water), flow rate (if the water flows too fast, the plants may have the substrate eroded from beneath them so no plants can grow, where more plants would be present in still water), chemicals other than those used as nutrients or that would cloud the water (herbicides, toxins), and the growth habit of the plant itself - for instance, if the weed is an emergent (that is, one with the top portion growing up out of the water such as a cattail), turbidity wouldn't be as much of a factor except for germinating seedlings.  If the plant extends along underwater runners, it could grow in faster moving water than ones which grow individually, since previous rooted parts would help to anchor the plant in place.

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