Summary 1We investigated morphological responses of the submerged macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum L. to water depth and wave exposure when grown in the same substrate at two sites in two eutrophic lakes. Periphyton production was 4 -8 times higher at sheltered than at wave-exposed sites and its influence was further investigated in a glasshouse experiment. Morphological responses in both experiments were compared by allometric analyses, with shoot weight as covariate. 2 In the field study, plants shoots exhibited similar responses (increased plant height and branch length, and decreased branch number) to sheltered conditions as to deep water. The partitioning between above-and below-ground biomass however, differed, with below-ground decreasing with an increasing water depth, but increasing or remaining unaffected at sheltered compared with exposed conditions. 3 In the glasshouse experiment, plant responses to water depth were similar to those in the field study. Furthermore, plant height increased when plants were overgrown with periphyton. 4 High production of periphytic algae at sheltered sites appears to cause light limitation of macrophytes. However, other factors such as nutrient uptake also appears to determine morphological responses. At sheltered sites, where leaf nutrient uptake is reduced by abundant periphyton and thick boundary layers, plants allocate more biomass to roots. At deep and wave-exposed sites, the absence of periphyton allows plants to take up nutrients through their leaves and allocation of biomass to shoots increases photosynthesis. 5 Overall, relative allocation to shoot and root biomass appears to be primarily controlled by nutrient availability, whereas allocation of available shoot biomass to particular structures is controlled by light availability.

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Shallow eutrophic lakes tend to be either in a turbid state dominated by phytoplankton or in a clear-water state dominated by submerged macrovegetation. Recent studies suggest that the low water turbidity in the clear-water state is maintained through direct and indirect effects of the submerged vegetation. This study examined what mechanisms may cause a recession of the submerged vegetation in the clear-water state, and thereby a switch to the turbid state. The spatial distribution of submerged vegetation biomass was investigated in two shallow eutrophic lakes in the clear-water state in southern Sweden. Biomass of submerged vegetation was positively correlated with water depth and wave exposure, which also were mutually correlated, suggesting that mechanisms hampering submerged vegetation were strongest at shallow and/or sheltered locations. The growth of Myriophyllum spicatum, planted in the same substrate and at the same water depth, was compared between sheltered and wave exposed sites in two lakes. After 6 weeks the plants were significantly smaller at the sheltered sites, where periphyton production was about 5 times higher than at the exposed sites. Exclosure experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of waterfowl grazing on macrophyte biomass. Potamogeton pectinatus growth was decreased by grazing, whereas M. spicatum was not affected. The effects were greater at a sheltered than at a wave-exposed site, and also negatively related to distance from the reed belt. These results suggest that competition from epiphytes and waterfowl grazing hamper the development of submerged vegetation at sheltered and/or shallow locations. An increased strength of these mechanisms may cause a recession of submerged vegetation in shallow eutrophic lakes in the clear-water state and thereby a switch to the turbid state.

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