Comparison of Enzyme Activities in Vegetated and Nonvegetated Sediments

Abstract

This study focuses on the effect of aquatic plants on the changes of enzyme activities in wetland sediments. Wetland plants play essential roles both as a carbon supplier for microbes which synthesize enzymes and as a regulator for enzyme activity by modifying hydrochemistry in the rhizosphere. Although numerous studies have been carried out on soil enzymes, little information is available on the vertical distribution and temporal variation of enzyme activities affected by the presence of plants in wetlands. Our results clearly show that sediments with wetland plants exhibit significantly higher enzyme activities of