The dual role of benthic fish: Effects on water quality in the presence and absence of submerged macrophytes.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Pergamon Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0105072 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-2448 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00431354 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Water Res Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: Oxford, Pergamon Press.
    • Subject Terms:
      Water Quality* ; Fishes* ; Ecosystem* ; Lakes*; Animals ; Plants ; Eutrophication ; Phytoplankton
    • Abstract:
      Rebuilding a clear-water state dominated by submerged macrophytes is essential for addressing eutrophication, yet the impact of benthic fish on water quality is complex. We conducted two experiments to explore the interaction of submerged plants and benthic fish on the water quality. Experiment I investigated the water clearing effects of submerged macrophytes with varying coverage (from 0% to 40%) before and after the removal of benthic fish. Experiment II explored the impacts of benthic fish at different densities on aquatic ecosystems with and without submerged macrophytes. The results showed that an increase in submerged macrophytes coverage significantly enhanced the reduction of some major water quality parameters. We assert that the coverage of submerged macrophytes should not be lower than 40% to establish and sustain a clear-water state in shallow lakes. However, benthic fish significantly weaken the ability of submerged macrophytes to improve water quality. Surprisingly, the presence or absence of macrophytes may reverse the role of benthic fish in freshwater ecosystems. When macrophytes are present, benthic fish can cause water quality to deteriorate. Conversely, when macrophytes are absent, benthic fish with a density of ≤ 10 g/m 3 can restrict the growth of phytoplankton by directly consuming algae or by disturbing sediments to increase turbidity, thereby potentially improving water quality. But the detrimental effects of benthic fish with higher densities may gradually outweigh their benefits to water clarity. Therefore, the percentage of submerged macrophyte cover in combination with the density of benthic fish play crucial roles in shaping the ecological effects of benthic fish and overall ecosystem dynamics. These findings underscore the importance of understanding ecosystem interactions and have practical implications for the management of shallow lakes.
      Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
      (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Benthic fish; Biomanipulation; Ecological restoration; Eutrophication; Submerged macrophytes
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20240920 Date Completed: 20241127 Latest Revision: 20241127
    • Publication Date:
      20241202
    • Accession Number:
      10.1016/j.watres.2024.122466
    • Accession Number:
      39303580