Competition in submersed vegetation is a common phenomenon in nature. When two or more species occupy the
same habitat and attempt to simultaneously use the same resources, competition occurs. Plant competition has been
recognized as one of the most important factors for determining species distribution in aquatic plant communities, as
it can alter many aspects of the structure and function of lake ecosystems, including the trophic status and nutrient
cycling[1, 2]. For example, water phosphorus concentration was lower in mixture mesocosms than in monoculture
mesocosms and the ability to remove phosphorus increased as species richness increased in mixture mesocosms[3].