Recovery of Potamogeton pectinatus L. stands in a shallow eutrophic lake under extreme grazing pressure

Abstract

In shallow lakes, submerged macrophytes contribute to the stabilization of the clear water state. If lost, a number of mechanisms prevent re-colonization. Lake Müggelsee (730 ha) lost its submerged vegetation due to increasing eutrophication and switched to phytoplankton dominance in 1970. After the reduction of nutrient loading in 1990, Potamogeton pectinatus L. started re-colonizing the lake. During the following years, it spread at a mean rate of 2.5 ha per year to all available areas <80 cm depth. Between 1993 and 1999, decreasing maximum biomass indicated hampered growth. Exclosure experiments revealed that herbivory reduced the aboveground biomass by more than 90%. Both waterfowl and fish were found to contribute to the grazing pressure despite a low abundance of the known herbivorous fish species and waterfowl in spring and summer. Protection of stands against grazing resulted in higher biomass of shoots, whereas shoot and tuber density did not change. Both shading by phytoplankton and periphyton, as well as grazing pressure, prevented the submerged vegetation of Lake Müggelsee from developing back to a dense zone that contributed to the reduction of turbidity.