Establishment of native emergent or floating-leaved plants appears to
offer natural and effective means to minimize the nuisance impacts of
the mat-forming cyanobacterium Lyngbya wollei. This research has ident
ified two species (Pontederia cordata and Potamogeton nodosus) which o
ffer the potential for long-term competitive control of nuisance L. wo
llei mats in shallow waters. Both species significantly impacted the d
istribution and total mass of L. wollei mats within planted experiment
al plots compared to adjacent unplanted control plots. The established
plants forced a redistribution of the L. wollei biomass within the wa
ter column, preventing the formation of the characteristic summertime
floating mats, the most objectionable of the many nuisance aspects of
this species. In addition, the L. wollei biomass was reduced by more t
han 50% in planted plots. This reduction in mass may have been related
to reduced light and nutrient availability within the vegetated plots
. In addition, oxygenation and acidification of the benthic region may
have promoted the decomposition and remineralization of the nuisance
mat. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.