The restoration of riparian wetlands and macrophytes in Lake Chao, an eutrophic Chinese lake: possibilities and effects

Experiments with replanting macrophytes in Lake Chao showed that the water quality inside an Alternathera philoxeroides Griseb.and a Phragmites australis community were better than outside. Transparency was significantly higher and the content of N and P decreased inside the communities, as did the rate of sedimentation of organic suspended matter in the Phragmites australis community. Modeling revealed that macrophyte restoration could decrease phytoplaniton biomass, increase fish biomass, exergy, structural exergy, zooplankton/phytoplankton ratio and transparency (Xu et al., 1999b). It is concluded that macrophyte restoration can purify lake water, regulate lake biological structure and control eutrophication.