Initial survey of submerged aquatic vegetation and associated abiotic factors along a 4-km stretch on the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg, Virginia
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Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is aquatic macrophytes that spend their entire life cycle submerged below the surface of the water. Six common riverine SAV species are abundant throughout the Piedmont section of Virginia and other Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern rivers. In 2004, a dam located at the fall line was removed allowing the Rappahannock to flow freely. No research has been conducted on SAV in this area of the upper Rappahannock (Piedmont) section prior or after the dam's removal. An initial survey of SAV composition and density (canopy cover) of all plant species was conducted during the growing season in 2012 and 2013 along a 4-km stretch of the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg, Virginia from the former dam reservoir to just below the fall line. I hypothesized that after a decade since the dam was removed the river habitat directly affected by the dam will have transitioned to support SAV species found in the lower Piedmont section of other similar Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern rivers such as the James River. However, the most widespread SAV species found was Egeria densa, a nonnative invasive species that appeared throughout the study area in both 2012 and 2013. The only other SAV species observed was native Vallisneria Americana which contributed less than 5% of total plants found throughout the study area.