Abstract: | Cyanobacterial blooms occur frequently in aquaculture ponds during summer, which has brought great losses to the aquaculture industry. Physical salvage and chemical reagents were previously used to kill the harmful algae and improve the water quality. However, physical salvage is time-consuming, and chemical reagents easily cause more pollution. Thus, there is currently greater consideration to regulate the water quality by using ecological strategies, such as the inhibition of cyanobacteria by submerged macrophytes. Because of its ecological safety, this method is being increasingly applied in eutrophic water bodies. In the present study, coculture simulation experiments were used to observe the effects of submerged plants (Ceratophyllum demersum and Potamogeton pectinatus) on the phytoplankton composition and water quality of ponds (i.e., the concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, soluble nitrogen, soluble phosphorus, nitrate, and ammonia, and chemical oxygen demand) during cyanobacterial blooms. The results showed that when compared with the control, C. demersum and P. pectinatus could significantly reduce the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water column, with significant differences detected between the control and P. pectinatus treatment; inhibit the growth of cyanobacteria, especially of Oscillatoria sp. and Microcystis sp., with the effects of P. pectinatus being greater than those of C. demersum (compared with the values in the control pond, the algal density, biomass, and Chl.a content decreased by 93.6%, 98.9%, and 60.5%, respectively, in the P. pectinatus-treated pond and by 72.5%, 86.8%, and 54.3%, respectively, in the C. demersum-treated pond); and promote the phytoplankton biodiversity of the ponds. At the end of the experimentation, the biodiversity in the ponds treated with C. demersum and P. pectinatus increased by 98.4% and 50.3%, respectively, relative to that in the control pond. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the future restoration and remediation of eutrophic waters. |