Wetlands in the Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India, have been dominated by the grass Paspalum distichum L. since the removal of cattle and water buffalo from the park in the early 1980s. The mean water depth was lowest just before the onset of monsoon, highest immediately after it, and then declined slowly over the winter and spring. The mean cover of P. distichum was also lowest just prior to the onset of the monsoon (e.g. 19% in June 1984), increased after the monsoon (e.g. 35% in October 1985) and did not reach its maximum until late winter (e.g. 49% in March 1985). There was relatively little change in the species composition of the vegetation over an annual cycle. Because of the poor monsoon in 1986, water depths were much lower during the post-monsoonal period than normal. The cover of P. distichum was also reduced during this period and fell to only 2% by March 1987. The seed banks of areas dominated by Paspalum and four other emergent species contained a total of 55 species and between 1100 and 3100 seeds m −2. Seeds of P. distichum were found in all vegetation types. Paspalum-dominated areas grazed by geese had a seed bank that contained 44 species and a mean of about 1000 seeds m −2. Only goose droppings collected in November contained viable seeds, of which 90% were Paspalum seeds. Paspalum litter (6 cm or more) reduced recruitment from the seed bank by about 80% and the number of species recruited by about 50%. Only 12 species (total seedling density < 1 seedling m −2) became established in openings created in the grass mat by geese during a summer drawdown. In an area where Paspalum was removed with bulldozers, the post-monsoonal vegetation was dominated by submersed and floating-leaved species. Paspalum was initially present at very low cover (0.1%) and increased to 4.6% in the next 9 months.