“…The restoration of SMs is considered a crucial measure for the rehabilitation of shallow eutrophic lakes ( Liu et al., 2020 ; Li et al., 2021a ), as SMs display certain functional traits, that they use to stabilize the clear-water state ( Puijalon et al., 2011 ; Su et al., 2019 ; Rao et al., 2020 ). For example, SMs could suppress algal growth by competing for light and nutrients ( Lürling et al., 2006 ), producing algae-inhibiting allelochemicals to interfere the photosynthetic activities ( Zhu et al., 2010 ) and change other physiological and biochemical processes ( Zhu et al., 2021 ; He et al., 2023 ), and providing grazing zooplankton with a daytime refuge against fish predation ( Burks et al., 2001 ). In addition, SMs can facilitate nutrient uptake from the water column and sediment ( Sand-Jensen and Borum, 1991 ) and reduce sediment resuspension ( Horppila and Nurminen, 2003 ).…”