Can macrophytes be useful in biomanipulation of lakes? The Lake Zwemlust example

Lake Zwemlust (area 1.5 ha, Z_m 1.5 m) has been the object of an extensive limnological study since its biomanipulation involving removal of planktivorous fish (bream) in March 1987 and emptying of the lake. In the subsequent summer period of 1987 the Secchi depth increased to the lake bottom (2.5 m), compared withca 30 cm in the earlier summers. The reaction of submerged macrophytes to improving under-water light climate was rapid. In summer 1987, besides the introducedChara globularis, 5 species of submerged macrophytes occurred and colonized 10% of the lake area. In 1988 and 1989 only quantitative changes were observed; new species did not appear, but the area colonized by macrophytes increased by 7 and 10 times, respectively.Elodea nuttallii was dominant among the macrophytes andMougeotia sp. among the filamentous green algae. Their abundance, contributed to transient N-limination of phytoplankton causing a persistent clear water phase in 1988 and 1989, unlike in 1987 when zooplankton grazing contributed chiefly to the water clarity. Laboratory bioassays on macrophytes confirmed nitrogen limitation.     

西太湖水生植物时空变化

水生植物在浅水湖泊生态系统中具有十分重要的作用。根据中国科学院太湖湖泊生态系统研究站1989年以来的常规监测资料,将西太湖（除东太湖以外的湖区）划分为9个区,采用点截法（point intercept method）,于2002～2005年对各区水生植物的种类、生物量和空间分布情况进行了6次调查。结果表明：西太湖现有水生植物16种,分属于11科12属;水生植物总面积约10220hm^2,其中沉水植物分布面积约占64．58％;挺水植物约占0．29％;漂浮植物约占38．16％。各个种之间生物量差异显著,马来眼子菜、荇菜、芦苇的生物量在所有水生植物中居前3位。多样性分析表明,水生植物种类4a来未发生明显变化,但种类和生物量季节性差异较大。水生植物呈环状分布在距湖岸5km以内的水域和部分岛屿周围,东岸和南岸为水生植物的主要集中分布区域,分布区连续性好,且水草种类齐全。挺水植物种类单一,仅有芦苇（Phragmites communis）一种,分布区域多限于水深小于1．6m的湖岸;沉水植物共有8种,为水生植物的主要组成部分,马来眼子菜（Potamogeton malaianus）的分布频度最高,在西山岛周围水域逐年扩张,成为该区域的先锋种;漂浮植物3种,主要以荇菜（Nymphoides peltata）为主,在七都水域有逐渐扩张的趋势。马来眼子菜、芦苇、荇菜表现出对水环境较强的适应能力,目前为西太湖的3个优势种。20世纪50年代以来,西太湖水生植物种类减少了50种,其中水质下降是导致水生植物种类不断减少甚至消失的一个重要原因。围网养殖和不合理的捕捞方式也对局部水域的植物造成极大的破坏。水生植物生存环境日益严峻,种群单一化趋势日益明显。     

两种沉水植物对间隙水磷浓度的影响

为研究两种根系特征的沉水植物在生长过程中对间隙水中磷浓度的影响,选取根系较多的沉水植物苦草和根系相对较少的沉水植物黑藻作为实验材料,监测底泥中间隙水各形态磷含量及环境因子的变化,探讨不同根系特征沉水植物对间隙水中磷的影响。结果表明:黑藻和苦草实验组沉积物间隙水中各形态磷的浓度均呈不同程度的降低,黑藻和苦草对于稳定水质,减少底泥中磷向水中转移具有明显的效果;沉水植物不同,底泥间隙水中溶解性总磷(DTP)和溶解性活性磷(SRP)存在明显差异。实验结束时黑藻组和苦草组间隙水中DTP的浓度分别为0.24,0.01 mg/L,SRP的浓度分别为0.22 mg/L,0.004 mg/L。间隙水中磷的形态主要以DTP和SRP为主,溶解性有机磷(DOP)的含量相对较低。沉水植物对间隙水中磷的吸收是降低间隙水中磷含量的重要原因,苦草的吸收能力大于黑藻。沉水植物根系通过降低底泥p H值,提高氧化还原电位(Eh)的方式抑制了底泥中磷的释放。     

Temporal changes and vertical distribution of macrophytes in Lake Kawaguchi

 The distribution of macrophytes in Lake Kawaguchi, Japan, was surveyed in August 1999 using a sampling anchor from a boat. The survey revealed that the present aquatic vegetation was composed of 17 submerged species, and no floating-leaved plants were present. The diversity of submerged plants and their vertical growth limits decreased progressively from the west to the east end of the lake. At the time of the survey, the dominant species was Elodea nuttallii (Planch.) St. John, which had once grown explosively in the mid-1980s in the lake, and except for Vallisneria asiatica Miki, all of the species commonly observed in the lake seem to have diminished their growth greatly. Among them, Potamogeton compressus L., which was the most dominant species in the lake before the invasion of Elodea nuttallii, had decreased most severely. It is suggested that the present state of aquatic vegetation in this lake was much influenced by the persistent growth of Elodea nuttallii as well as by environmental factors. Received: August 7, 2001 / Accepted: February 9, 2002     

Invasive Crayfish Threaten the Development of Submerged Macrophytes in Lake Restoration

Submerged macrophytes enhance water transparency and aquatic biodiversity in shallow water ecosystems. Therefore, the return of submerged macrophytes is the target of many lake restoration projects. However, at present, north-western European aquatic ecosystems are increasingly invaded by omnivorous exotic crayfish. We hypothesize that invasive crayfish pose a novel constraint on the regeneration of submerged macrophytes in restored lakes and may jeopardize restoration efforts. We experimentally investigated whether the invasive crayfish (Procambarus clarkii Girard) affects submerged macrophyte development in a Dutch peat lake where these crayfish are expanding rapidly. Seemingly favourable abiotic conditions for macrophyte growth existed in two 0.5 ha lake enclosures, which provided shelter and reduced turbidity, and in one lake enclosure iron was added to reduce internal nutrient loading, but macrophytes did not emerge. We transplanted three submerged macrophyte species in a full factorial exclosure experiment, where we separated the effect of crayfish from large vertebrates using different mesh sizes combined with a caging treatment stocked with crayfish only. The three transplanted macrophytes grew rapidly when protected from grazing in both lake enclosures, demonstrating that abiotic conditions for growth were suitable. Crayfish strongly reduced biomass and survival of all three macrophyte species while waterfowl and fish had no additive effects. Gut contents showed that crayfish were mostly carnivorous, but also consumed macrophytes. We show that P. clarkii strongly inhibit macrophyte development once favourable abiotic conditions for macrophyte growth are restored. Therefore, expansion of invasive crayfish poses a novel threat to the restoration of shallow water bodies in north-western Europe. Prevention of introduction and spread of crayfish is urgent, as management of invasive crayfish populations is very difficult.     

Hydrologic and anthropogenic influences on aquatic macrophyte development in a large,shallow lake in China

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Environmental gradients determining the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates in Lake Takkobu, Kushiro wetland, northern Japan

Effects of environmental variables on the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates inhabiting sediments were studied at 25 sites along the shoreline of Lake Takkobu in the Kushiro wetland of northern Japan in summer 2003. During the last decade, the lake’s status has undergone a drastic shift from clear water dominated by submerged macrophytes to turbid water dominated by phytoplankton. The canonical correspondence analysis showed that four environmental variables explained the significant variation in the macroinvertebrate species composition: submerged plant biomass, bottom sediment organic matter content (OMC), distance from the mouth of the Takkobu River, and bottom-layer pH. Five species of Chironomidae [Chironomus sp. (except plumosus group), Psectrocladius sp., Corynoneura sp., Parachironomus sp. arcuatus group, and Zavreliella sp.] occurred in sites with relatively lower pH and a high submerged plant biomass, whereas three species of Tubificidae (Tubifex tubifex, Aulodrilus limnobius and Aulodrilus sp.) and two of Chironomidae (Nanocladius sp. and Monodiamesa sp.) occurred in sites with high pH and little vegetation. The three Tubificidae species also preferred organic-rich sediments. Irrespective of aquatic vegetation, Sphaerium sp. (Bivalvia) and Monodiamesa sp. (Chironomidae) occurred in low-OMC sites, whereas Tanypus sp. (Chironomidae) preferred high-OMC sites. The number of macroinvertebrate taxa showed the highest correlation with the number of submerged plants, suggesting that macroinvertebrate species richness was related mostly to submerged plant species diversity in this lake. The quantity and species richness of submerged plants and OMC are thus important determinants of the community structure of macroinvertebrates inhabiting sediments in Lake Takkobu.     

Centennial‐scale changes to the aquatic vegetation structure of a shallow eutrophic lake and implications for restoration

1. We investigate long‐term (>200 years) changes to the composition and spatial structure of macrophyte communities in a shallow, eutrophic lake (Barton Broad, eastern England) and consider the implications for lake restoration. 2. Historical macrophyte data were assembled from a variety of sources: existing plant databases, museum herbaria, journal articles, old photographs and eyewitness accounts. Additionally, two types of sediment core sample were analysed for plant macro‐remains and pollen; bulk basal samples from multiple core sites analysed to provide information on ‘pre‐disturbance’ macrophyte communities and two whole cores analysed to determine historical change. 3. Prior to the late 1800s, macrophyte communities were diverse and included a multilayered mosaic of short‐stature submerged taxa and taller submerged and floating‐leaved species. With the progression of eutrophication after around 1900, the former community was displaced by the latter. Diversity was maintained, however, since an encroaching Schoenoplectus–nymphaeid swamp generated extensive patches of low‐energy habitat affording refugia for several macrophytes otherwise unable to withstand the hydraulic forces associated with open water conditions. When this swamp vegetation disappeared in the 1950s, many of the ‘dependent’ aquatic macrophytes also declined leaving behind a sparse, species‐poor community (as today) resilient to both eutrophication and turbulent open waters. 4. The combination of historical and palaeolimnological data sources offers considerable benefits for reconstructing past changes to the aquatic vegetation of lakes and for setting restoration goals. In this respect, our study suggests that successful restoration might often be better judged by reinstatement of the characteristic structure of plant communities than the fine detail of species lists; when nutrients are low and the structure is right, the right species will follow.     

Differential response to climatic variation of free‐floating and submerged macrophytes in ditches

1. Experimental studies have indicated in freshwater ecosystems that a shift in dominance from submerged to free‐floating macrophytes may occur with climate change because of increased water surface temperatures and eutrophication. Field evidence is, however, rare. 2. Here, we analysed long‐term (26 years) dynamics of macrophyte cover in Dutch ditches in relation to Dutch weather variables and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) winter index. The latter appears to be a good proxy for Dutch weather conditions. 3. Cover of both free‐floating macrophytes and evergreen overwintering submerged macrophytes was positively related to mild winters (positive NAO winter index). On the other hand, high cover of submerged macrophytes that die back in winter coincided with cold winters (negative NAO winter index). Our results therefore suggest that the effect of weather on macrophyte species depends strongly on their overwintering strategy. 4. The positive relation of free‐floating macrophytes with the NAO winter index was significantly stronger in ditches in organic soil than in those in inorganic soil. This may be because of increased nutrient loading associated with increased decomposition of organic matter and increased run‐off to these ditches during mild wet winters. 5. Our results suggest that mild winters in a changing climate may cause submerged macrophytes with an evergreen overwintering strategy and free‐floating macrophytes to outcompete submerged macrophytes that die back in winter.     

Palaeolimnology as a tool to inform shallow lake management: an example from Upton Great Broad,Norfolk, UK

This palaeolimnological study investigates recent changes in the biological structure of an English shallow lake (Upton Great Broad, Norfolk). By focusing on the historical occurrence of submerged macrophytes, particularly the rare UK species, Najas marina L. (Holly-leaved Naiad), we address a management question that frequently arises for shallow lakes, namely whether to undertake sediment removal to increase water depth and/or restore conservation value. Macro-remains of aquatic macrophytes and molluscs were analysed in two littoral sediment cores and combined with other historical ecological data covering the last 100 years. Before around 1900, the lake had Chara meadows (including at least three species) and an associated species-rich community of Mollusca. Between around 1900–1970 a period of high angiosperm diversity is suggested with a reduction of Characeae and the development of patches of water-lily (particularly Nymphaea alba L.) and fen swamp in the open water. Then, after around 1970, our data indicate a rapid shift towards Najas-dominance coupled with a decrease in the seasonal length of the plant-covered period. The expansion of Najas was clearly associated with, and may even be dependent upon, a highly unusual fluid, green sediment formation that developed at the site from around the same time. Thus, despite the loss of an earlier more diverse vegetation and associated fauna, we suggest that best practice conservation may be allow natural site development and not to undertake active management such as sediment removal which might threaten the status of Najas. Our conclusion could only have been arrived at through the long-term ecological perspective that a palaeolimnological approach provides.     

Ecological restoration in eutrophic Lake Wuli: A large enclosure experiment

A large-scale enclosure experiment for lake restoration was carried out in Lake Wuli, a northern bay of shallow and eutrophic Lake Taihu in China. The large enclosure with an area of 10 ha was set up in the littoral zone and was bordered by waterproof fabric which did not cover the sediments. Multiple approaches were used and included fish removal, piscivorous fish stocking, shoreline reconstruction, aquatic macrophyte planting, benthic macro-animal stocking, and silver carp cultivation in pens for reduction of cyanobacteria. The results showed that the coverage of aquatic macrophytes increased from 0% to 45.7%. Mean concentrations of TN and TP inside the enclosure from May 2004 to May 2008 were 22.2% and 26.0% of those outside, respectively. Secchi depth was 0.40 m outside the enclosures and 0.75 m inside. However, responses of phytoplankton to the restoration project lagged behind improvement of water quality and reestablishment of aquatic plants. The phytoplankton biomass gradually decreased after the third year of the restoration. Stocking piscivorous fish and planting submerged macrophytes could not increase zooplankton biomass and enhance graze pressure on phytoplankton, most likely due to high omnivorous fish density and lower nutrition inside the enclosure. Higher grazing pressure of zooplankton on phytoplankton was observed in May and October every year. Zooplankton to phytoplankton biomass ratios were significantly negatively correlated with phytoplankton biomass outside (r = −0.440, p < 0.01) and inside the enclosure (r = −0.336, p < 0.05) from February 2004 to March 2007. Therefore, phytoplankton biomass inside and outside the enclosure was lower in May and October. Higher grazing pressure of zooplankton on phytoplankton in spring may result in occurrence of the clear-water phase that facilitated growth of submerged macrophytes in the littoral in Lake Wuli, and a clear-water state and improved water quality would likely be sustained throughout the year after reestablishment of submerged macrophytes.     

A Century of Change in Macrophyte Abundance and Composition in Response to Agricultural Eutrophication

Clear Lake, Iowa, USA is a shallow, agriculturally eutrophic lake that has changed drastically over the past century. Eight macrophyte surveys since 1896 were pooled and examined to characterize long-term impacts of eutrophication on macrophyte community composition and relative abundance. Surveys in 1981 and 2000 revealed few submergent and floating-leaved species and a dominance in emergent species (Scirpus, Typha). Over the past century, however, species richness has declined from a high of 30 species in 1951 to 12 found today, while the community composition has shifted from submergent-(99%) to emergent-dominated floras (84%). Potamogeton praelongus was the first emergent species to disappear but was followed by several other clear water Potamogeton species. Several floating leaved and emergent genera increased in relative abundance with eutrophication, notably Nuphar, Nymphaea, Phragmites, Polygonum, Sagittaria, Scirpus, and Typha. P. pectinatus was present over the entire century due to its tolerance of eutrophic conditions. Macrophyte growth was generally light-limited, with 93% of the variance in relative abundance of submergent species explained by changes in water transparency. Clear Lake exhibits signs of alternative stable states, oscillating between clear and turbid water, coupled with high and low submerged species relative abundance. The maximum macrophyte richness occurred as the lake oscillated between submergent- and emergent-dominated states. Changes in the water level have also impacted macrophyte growth since the area of the lake occupied by emergent macrophytes was negatively correlated with water level. Strongest correlations indicated that macrophytes respond to water level variations with a 2-year time-lag.     

应用多种生物类群评价白洋淀水环境质量变化

白洋淀是华北平原最大的浅水湖泊。近几十年来,白洋淀上游耗水增加,天然入淀水量急剧减少,使白洋淀水位明显降低;同时,随着淀泊周边农村生活污水的排入,白洋淀发生了严重的富营养化。2017年雄安新区设立,白洋淀环境治理工作的重要性空前提高。近几年通过上游水库和跨流域生态补水,白洋淀水位明显抬升,同时淀中和淀边农村实施了生活污水收集。为了解白洋淀当前水环境状况,对前期补水和治污的效果进行评估,2019年8月对白洋淀水体理化指标及水生生物进行调查,采用水质、浮游植物、浮游动物、底栖动物指标评价白洋淀水环境质量,并与2010年的调查数据进行对比,辅以沉水植物指标评价水体生态状况。结果表明: 白洋淀2019年总磷达到优于Ⅲ类水平,总氮优于Ⅱ类水平,水环境状况比2010年有较大改善。其中,总磷浓度下降了88.6%,总氮浓度下降了83.9%,叶绿素a浓度下降了47.8%,透明度增大了43.4%;浮游动物、底栖动物等生物多样性明显提高,浮游植物密度显著降低,优势种从普遍的重富营养型转变为富营养型;沉水植物清洁型种类分布范围缩小。这说明沉水植物物种评价法不适于白洋淀水环境质量评价,浮游动物多样性评价方法也不适用于当前白洋淀水环境质量评价。早期,由于污染源集中在西部,白洋淀西部水质差于东部;现在,由于自西、北、南多方向补水,淀区的水动力条件发生显著改变,加之西部实施治污工程,淀区水质呈现空间均一化的特点。     

Changes in Internal Phosphorus Loading and Fish Population as Possible Causes of Water Quality Decline in a Shallow,Biomanipulated Lake

Impacts of internal nutrient loading and the role of biota in phosphorus (P) dynamics were studied in a shallow, hypertrophic, biomanipulated lake. Reduced fish stock resulted in clearing water and the development of a dense submerged vegetation by 2005. However, an abrupt shift occurred in 2007, seven years after the fish manipulation. Simultaneously, water quality deteriorated which became obvious in elevated chlorophyll‐a concentration in lake water, associated with increased biomass of fish and decay of a previously extended macrophyte cover. There were no significant differences in lake water P concentrations between the two periods (2005–2006 and 2007); however, peaks of different P forms were markedly higher in 2007 than in 2005–2006. At the same time, P content of sediment pore water declined considerably in 2007. Our mesocosm experiment, carried out in the manipulated lake, emphasize the positive role of the dominant fish species (roach) in P regeneration. We suggest that fish manipulation should be carried out every 5 year to maintain clear water conditions permanent, until the total removal of redundant nutrients accumulated in the lake ecosystem. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On body size and habitat selection in rotifers in a macrophye-dominated lake Budzyńskie,Poland

Lake Budzyńskie is shallow, freshwater lake with a well-developed and differentiated macrophytic vegetation. Zooplankton samples were collected from five stations: two of them in submerged macrophytes (Chara and Myriophyllum), one in the zone of floating leaves (Potamogeton), a rush station (Typha) and one in the open water surrounding the vegetation beds. The mean Rotifera densities differed significantly between the lake parts. Furthermore, different habitats were characterised by differences in body size with the exception of the middle body size group (Keratella cochlearis, Polyarthra vulgaris and Trichocerca similis), which was dominated by limnetic representatives. However, in all the other size-dependent groups both stands of submerged macrophytes were characterised by much higher densities than other zones. Additionally, body size within the examined habitats significantly differed. Thus, the size structure of Rotifera communities was directly related to morphological and spatial structures of the substrata. Two groups of habitats were distinguished: the first one consisting of open water and two vegetated zones of less complicated structure (Potamogeton and Typha), and the second of more complex submerged macrophyte species (Chara and Myriophyllum). The differentiation of the architecture of macrophytes affected the nutritional conditions and refuge effectiveness of these habitats.     

The relative importance of dispersal and the local environment for species richness in two aquatic plant growth forms

Local species richness can be affected by both the dispersal process and by environmental conditions (species sorting process). The evaluation of the relative roles of these two processes contributes not only to further understanding of the mechanisms determining species richness but also to biodiversity conservation. We studied the relative importance of hydrological dispersal and water chemistry for species richness of submerged and floating‐leaved macrophytes using 31 sets of interconnected ponds with different numbers of component ponds (defined as connection class). Connection class was slightly more important than, or equally important to, water chemistry in determining species richness of floating‐leaved macrophytes. In contrast, submerged macrophyte richness was much more influenced by water chemistry than by connection class, although increasing connection class had some positive effect. Similarly, the occurrence of a particular species of submerged macrophyte was better explained by pond water chemistry than by the occurrence of the same species in the pond immediately upstream. The reverse was true for floating‐leaved macrophytes; the presence of a given species was better explained by its presence in the pond immediately upstream than by water chemistry. These results indicated that the relative importance of the two processes that shape the species richness of aquatic plants is a consequence of the growth form of the plants. However, both the dispersal process via hydrologic connection and species sorting by water chemistry play some role in determining the species richness of both floating‐leaved and submerged macrophytes.     

Submerged macrophytes in the recently freshened lake system Volkerak-Zoom (The Netherlands), 1987–1991

Extensive biological research has been carried out during the first four years after isolation and freshening of Lake Volkerak-Zoom, a former part of the marine-tidal Oosterschelde. Freshening took place in 8 months. Research on submerged macrophytes has been an important part of the investigation because the aim of the water management was to establish a clear and stable freshwater ecosystem, despite high nutrient loading.In the first year after closure the marine Zostera noltii vanished. and the brackish water Ruppia maritima colonized the lake. In subsequent years, several freshwater species colonized the lake (e.g. Potamogeton pusillus, P. pectinatus, Zannichellia palustris, Callitriche sp. and Chara sp.). The total area in the shallow zone (0.5–5.0 m) covered by submerged macrophytes, increased from less than 1% in 1987 to 22.5% in 1991.Characteristics (height, flowering and fruiting) of the main species (P. pusillus, P. pectinatus, Z. palustris, R. maritima) were closely related to water temperature and secchi depth.Waterfowl consumed about half of the production of the submerged macrophytes.     

In-lake algal bloom removal and submerged vegetation restoration using modified local soils

A “modified local soil induced ecological restoration” (MLS-IER) technology was developed for the restoration of degraded shallow lakes. Modified local soils that mixed with macrophyte seeds were used to flocculate the algal blooms and sink them down to the bottom of the lake. The increased water clarity and the improved sediment quality due to the covering of clean modified local soils make it possible for a quick restoration of submerged macrophytes in eutrophic shallow lakes. The MLS-IER technology was tested in the whole bay of Liaoyangyuan (0.1 km²) in Lake Tai (Wuxi, China) in August 2006. The whole bay was fully covered by more than 1 cm cyanobacterial bloom since June, which caused massive killing of fish and aquatic vegetations. Some 4 tons of chitosan-modified local soils were sprayed over the whole bay and the severe bloom was successfully removed within one day. The secchi depth was increased from 0 cm to 30 cm, and the chlorophyll-a, total-P, and total-N were all reduced by more than 86% within one day's time. Four months after the treatment, submerged macrophytes were successfully restored within the whole bay. Cyanotoxin microcystins RR and LR were reduced by 50% and 40%, respectively, compared to those outside the bay 4 months later. The biodiversity index of zoobenthos and that of phytoplankton inside the bay became higher than that outside the bay, while zooplankton diversity index remained relatively unchanged. This field trial study indicated that restoration of submerged macrophytes in shallow lakes could be significantly accelerated by using MLS-IER technology. The long-term ecological response and the transition mechanism between algal cells and submerged macrophytes in the sediment need to be further studied in controlled whole lake experiments.     

不同生活型大型植物对浮游植物群落的影响

湖泊加速富营养化是世界范围内的普遍现象,由此造成水质恶化,藻类大量增生,水生植被特别是沉水植物衰退乃至消失,生物多样性降低,严重影响湖泊主要功能的发挥。大型植物与浮游植物都是浅水湖泊的初级生产者,其间存在复杂的相互关系,如除竞争作用外,还可能存在相生...     

Degraded Softwater Lakes: Possibilities for Restoration

In the Netherlands, the characteristic flora of shallow softwater lakes has declined rapidly as a consequence of eutrophication, alkalization and acidification. The sediment of most lakes has become nutrient rich and anaerobic. We expected that, if a vital seed bank was still present, restoration of the original water quality and sediment conditions would lead to the return of softwater macrophytes. The restoration of 15 degraded, shallow, softwater lakes in the Netherlands was monitored from 1983 to 1998. In eutrophied as well as in acidified lakes, removal of accumulated organic matter from the sediment and shores was followed by rapid recolonization of softwater macrophytes present in the seedbank. After isolation from alkaline water and subsequent mud removal, this recovery was also observed in alkalized lakes. Further development of softwater vegetation correlated strongly with the water quality. When renewed eutrophication was successfully prevented, softwater macrophytes could expand. However, in acidified lakes, Juncus bulbosus and Sphagnum species became dominant after restoration. Liming of an acidified lake was followed by re‐acidification within 3 years. Recolonization by softwater macrophytes was inhibited by high turbidity of the water column and spreading of large helophytes on the shore. As an alternative, controlled inlet of alkaline, nutrient‐poor groundwater was studied in a few lakes. The pH of those lakes increased, the carbon and nitrogen availability decreased and softwater macrophytes returned. Successful restoration has contributed considerably to maintaining biodiversity in softwater lakes in the Netherlands.