Abstract
Located downstream of the Yangtze River Delta, the Lake Taihu drainage basin (LTDB) is one of the most developed areas in China. This area currently faces population and development issues, as well as many environmental problems, such as cultural eutrophication, algal blooms, and loss of native aquatic plants. Changes in aquatic biodiversity have received less attention than have changes in terrestrial habitats because relevant observations are lacking. In this study, information from 2010, 2014, and 2018 concerning the transformation of the aquatic plant biodiversity was obtained. The results showed that the dominant aquatic plants have changed from native plants to invasive plants. Aquatic plant biodiversity showed a decreasing trend, which may reduce the freshwater ecosystem function, and anthropogenic activities accounted for these changes. How to prevent the decline in aquatic plants and control the invasion of introduced aquatic plants should be a priority in the management of aquatic plants in the LTDB.
Highlights
Aquatic ecosystems provide irreplaceable economic and cultural services to human societies and are currently experiencing more significant loss compared to terrestrial ecosystems (Dudgeon et al, 2006)
Twenty-four field quadrats were obtained in July 2010, among which 34 aquatic plants were collected in total
We found that the total numbers of aquatic plants in 2010, 2014, and 2018 in the Lake Taihu drainage basin (LTDB) did not have a significant change, but the aquatic plant vegetation has transformed from being dominated by the native plant Cer. demersum to being dominated by the invasive plants Ca. caroliniana and E. crassipes in the aquatic sampling plots
Summary
Aquatic ecosystems provide irreplaceable economic and cultural services to human societies and are currently experiencing more significant loss compared to terrestrial ecosystems (Dudgeon et al, 2006). Most shallow lakes (
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