Seasonal variation of Microcystis in Lake Taihu and its relationships with environmental factors

In order to monitor the changes of Microcystis along with temporal and spatial variations, seasonal variation of Microcystis in Lake Taihu was investigated by 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （16S-23S rRNA-ITS DGGE） and microscopic evaluation. Samples were collected quarterly at four sites （River Mouth, Meiliang Bay, Cross Area, and Lake Center） from August 2006 to April 2007. Results showed that Microcystis dominated total phytoplankton abundance at the four sites in all seasons except winter. The average annual abundance of Microcystis was relatively high at River Mouth and Meiliang Bay, reaching 81.22×10^6 and 61.32×10^6 cells/L, respectively. For temporal variations, Shannon-Wiener diversity index （H＇） according to DGGE profile revealed the richness of Microcystis in summer （H＇ = 1.375±0.034） and winter （H＇ = 1.650 ±0.032） was lower than that in spring （H＇ = 2.078 ±0.031） and autumn （H＇ = 2.365 ±0.032） （P 〈 0.05）. While for spatial variations, the richness of Microcystis at River Mouth （H＇ = 2.015± 0.074） was higher than at other sites during four seasons （P 〈 0.01）. Very few differences of Microcystis diversity in the same season were observed among the other three sites （P 〉 0.05）. Canonical correspondence analysis （CCA） was performed to elucidate the relationships between Microcystis operational taxonomic units （OTUs） composition and the environmental factors. Results of CCA revealed that temperature was strongly positively correlated with the first axis （r = 0.963）, while TSS was negative correlated with the second axis （r = -0.716）. Phylogenetic tree based on the sequencing results of target bands on DGGE gel indicated that samples collected in summer and winter constituted two separated clusters.

Accumulation Characteristics and Safety Evaluation of Heavy Metals in Four Kinds of Aquatic Products from Lake Taihu

In order to investigate the current status of heavy metals pollution and food safety of aquatic products from Lake Taihu,atomic absorption spectrophotometry( AAS) was used to determine the contents of Pb,Cd,Cu,and Zn in the head,muscle and viscera of farmed and wild aquatic products. The results showed that the distribution patterns of heavy metals in different parts of aquatic products were quite different. Heavy metals were mainly distributed in the head and viscera of all investigated aquatic products except wild Carassius auratus. The contents of heavy metals in each part of aquatic products generally decreased in the following order: Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd. The levels of heavy metals pollution in the muscle tissue of farmed and wild aquatic products were different,with higher levels being found in the muscle tissue of wild aquatic products. Furthermore,the content of each heavy metal in muscle tissue was also different among different kinds of aquatic products,with both farmed and wild Metapenaeus ensis having the strongest Cu accumulation capacity while wild C. auratus having the strongest Zn accumulation capacity. The heavy metals pollution in the muscle tissue of aquatic products from Lake Taihu was generally at unpolluted to minor pollution level,and only a few of them were seriously polluted with heavy metals. The main pollution factors were Pb and Zn.

Study on the Applicability of ERA5 Reanalysis Data at Lake Taihu

Lakes are an important component of the earth climate system. They play an important role in the study of basin weather forecasting, air quality forecasting, and regional climate research. The accuracy of driving variables is the basic premise to ensure the rationality of lake mode simulation. Based on the in-situ observations at Bifenggang site of the Lake Taihu Eddy flux Network from 2012 to 2017, this paper investigated temporal variations in temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, radiation components at different time scales (hourly, seasonal and interannual). ERA5 reanalysis data were compared with in-situ observation to quantify the error and evaluate the performance of reanalysis data. The results show that: 1) On the hourly scale, the ERA5 reanalysis data described air temperature, and downward long-wave radiation more accurately. 2) On the seasonal variation scale, the ERA5 reanalysis data described air temperature, and downward long-wave radiation more accurately. However, the descriptions of wind speed, relative humidity and downward short-wave have large deviations. 3) On the interannual scale, the ERA5 reanalysis data show a good performance for temperature, followed by downward longwave radiation, downward shortwave radiation and relative humidity.

Distribution of Phosphorus in Sediments of Onshore Reed Areas of Lake Taihu

To reveal additional effects of aquatic macrophytes on biogeochemical properties of onshore lake phosphorus and to investigate the ecological response of reed communities to this phosphorus,sediments from the Meiliangwan onshore reed area of Lake Taihu were sampled by using a columnar sampler (D=8 cm) on September 18,October 17 and December 3,2003. The samples were compared with those from macrophyte-free areas. The collected samples were dried naturally at room temperature,ground and screened with a 100 mesh sieve. The HClO4-H2SO4 digesting and H2SO4-H2O2 heating digesting methods were used to analyze the total amount of phosphorus (TP) contained in sedi-ments of the reed area and in tissues of reed roots and stems. The result shows: 1) the level of TP,from both the reed area sediment and the reference samples,is highest during the vigorous growing stage and lowest during the slow growing stage. The difference between the two levels is statistically significant (p<0.01); 2) the top layer (0-2 cm) of the sediment from the area without higher aquatic macrophytes and the sediment (4-7 cm) in the central reed area show peak values of phosphorus enrichment; 3) the phosphorus enrichment of different parts of reed tissues is in decreasing order: firous root > rhizome > stem. All are smaller in the level of phosphorous than that in rhizosphere sediments (0-2 cm).

Changes in phytoplankton communities along nutrient gradients in Lake Taihu:evidence for nutrient reduction strategies

An annual investigation on phytoplankton communities was conducted to reveal the effects of nutrients on phytoplankton assemblages in Lake Taihu,East China. A total of 78 phytoplankton taxa were identified. Phytoplankton biomass was higher in the northern part of the lake than in the southern part. Cyanobacteria and Bacillariophyta alternated dominance in the northern area,where algal blooms often appear,and co-dominated in the southern area. In the northern part,the proportions of cyanobacteria and Bacillariophyta varied significantly in total biovolume,both along the phosphorus(P) gradient,and between total nitrogen levels(≤3 mg/L and >3 mg/L TN). The proportions of cyanobacteria and Bacillariophyta had no signif icant variations in total biovolume along P and N(nitrogen) gradients in the southern part. Correlation analysis and CCA results revealed that P was the key factor regulating phytoplankton community structure. Nitrogen was also important for the phytoplankton distribution pattern. It was concluded that nutrient structure was heterogeneous in space and shaped the distribution pattern of phytoplankton in the lake. Both exogenous P and internally sourced Prelease needs to be considered. N reduction should be considered simultaneously with P control to efficiently reduce eutrophication and algal blooms.

Ontogenetic changes in isotopic signatures of an omnivorous fish Cultrichthys erythropterus in East Lake Taihu,China

The relationship between body size and stable isotopic signatures of the omnivorous Redfin Culter(C ultrichthys erythropterus),commonly found in East Lake Taihu,was investigated. Previous analyses of C. erythropterus stomach contents have shown that this species undergoes a diet switch from being predominantly zooplanktivorous to piscivorous during its life history. This was confirmed by stable carbon isotopic signature(δ 13 C) in this study,in which δ 13 C was positively correlated with both standard length and weight. The importance of littoral-benthic resources in supporting C. erythropterus during its lifespan was also demonstrated using a two-source mixing model,the results of which showed a significant increasing trend in the contribution of littoral-benthic energy. However,the stable nitrogen isotopic signature(δ 15N) exhibited an unusual pattern compared with previous studies. The δ 15 N of C. erythropterus showed no relationship with body size,even though dietary changes were observed. This indicated that δ 15 N alone cannot fully reflect a diet shift in a species and possible variability in isotopic signatures over its life history. This should be considered when using stable isotopic signatures to investigate intra-specific variations and the timing of life-history events,such as estimating the trophic positions of fish species.

Variations of sediment organic phosphorus and organic carbon during the outbreak and decline of algal blooms in Lake Taihu,China

In this study,sediment organic phosphorus(OP)and organic carbon(OC)in Lake Taihu,China,as well as their relationships,were analyzed during the outbreak and decline of algal blooms(ABs)over a five-month field study.The results showed synchronous temporal changes in the sediment OP and OC contents with the development of ABs.In addition,there was a significant positive correlation between the sediment OP and OC(p<0.01),suggesting simultaneous deposition and consumption during the ABs outbreak.The sediment OP and OC contents decreased significantly at the early and last stages of the ABs outbreak and increased at the peak of the ABs outbreak and during the ABs decline.These temporal variation patterns suggest that the sediment OC and OP contents did not consistently increase during the ABs outbreak,even though algae are an important source of organic matter in sediments.The depletion or enrichment of OC and OP in sediments may also depend on the scale of the ABs outbreak.The obtained results revealed significant differences in the sediment OC and OP contents between the months(p<0.05).In addition,OP in the sediments was dominated by orthophosphate diester(phospholipids and DNA-P)and orthophosphate monoester during the ABs outbreak and decline,respectively.The active OC contents and proportions in the sediments in the ABs outbreak were significantly lower than those observed in the ABs decline period,demonstrating the significant impacts of the ABs outbreak and decline on the sediment OC and OP in Lake Taihu.

Risk assessment and identification of factors influencing the historical concentrations of microcystin in Lake Taihu, China

Understanding the history of microcystins(MCs)pollution in large lakes can help inform future lake management.We collected sediment cores from Lake Taihu to:investigate the long-term record of MCs(MC-LR,MC-YR,and MC-RR),explore the main environmental drivers of MCs,and assess their public health and ecological risks.Results showed that MCs content in all cores increased over time.The core from north Taihu had the highest MC concentrations,with an average total MCs(sum of MC-LR,MC-YR,and MC-RR=TMCs)content of(74.31±328.55)ng/g.The core from eastern Taihu showed the lowest average TMCs content of(2.91±3.95)ng/g.PCA showed that sediment MCs at the three sites were positively correlated with sediment chlorophyll-a.MC-LR and MC-YR in northern and western Taihu negatively correlated with both the sediment total organic carbon/sediment total nitrogen ratio(STOC/STN)andwater nitrate(NO_(3)^(−)-N)concentration,but three MC congeners at eastern Taihu showed positive correlations with water orthophosphate(PO_(4)^(3−)-P),NO_(3)^(−)-N,and STOC/STN.Generalized additive model analysis at each site revealed that NO_(3)^(−)-N was the main TMCs driver in northern andwestern Taihuwhere phytoplankton dominated,whereasPO_(4)^(3−)-P was the main TMCs driver in eastern Taihu where macrophytes dominated.At the whole lake scale,total phosphorus(TP)andPO_(4)^(3−)-P were the most important environmental drivers influencing MCs;TP explained 47.4%,44.2%,and 47.6%while orthophosphate explained 34.8%,31.2%,and 34.7%of the deviance on TMCs,MC-LR,and MC-YR,respectively.NO_(3)^(−)-N also showed a strong effect on MCs variation,especially on MC-YR.Risk assess-ment showed that both ecological and public health risk has increased in recent years.We conclude that while control of phosphorus and nitrogen input should be a major focus for future lake management,lake zone-specificmanagement strategiesmay also be important.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a sediment core from Lake Taihu and their associations with sedimentary organic matter

Sediment core is the recorder of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAH)pollutions and the associated sedimentary organic matter(SOM),acting as crucial supports for pollution control and environmental management.Here,the sedimentary records of PAHs and SOM in the past century in Lake Taihu,China,were reconstructed from a 50-cm sediment core.On the one hand,the presence of PAHs ranged from 8.99 to 199.2 ng/g.Vertically,PAHs declined with the depth increased,and the sedimentation history of PAHswas divided into two stages with a discontinuity at 20 cm depth.In composition,PAHs in the sediment core were dominated by three-ring PAHs(44.6%±9.1%,mean±standard deviation),and were followed by four-ring(27.0%±3.3%),and five-ring(12.1%±4.0%)PAHs.In toxicity assessment,the sedimentary records of benzo[a]pyrene-based toxic equivalency were well described by an exponential model with R-square of 0.95,and the environmental background toxic value was identified as 1.62 ng/g.On the other hand,different components of SOM were successfully identified by n-alkanemarkers(p<0.01)and the variations of SOMwerewell explained(84.6%).A discontinuity of SOM was recognized at 22 cm depth.Association study showed that the sedimentary PAHs were associated with both anthropogenic and biogenic SOM(p<0.05)with explained variances for most individual PAHs of 60%.It indicated the vertical distributions of PAHs were driven by sedimentary SOM.Therefore,environmental processes such as biogenic factors should attract more attentions as well as PAH emissions to reduce the impacts of PAHs.

Do alternative stable states exist in large shallow Taihu Lake,China?

Regime shifts from submersed macrophyte dominance to phytoplankton dominance have been widely reported in small-to medium-sized shallow lakes.However,alternative stable states in large shallow lakes(surface area>500 km^(2))remain unconfirmed.To understand the alternative stable states and the main influencing factors of submersed macrophytes in large lakes,the ecosystem states from monitoring data from 1959 to 2019 in large shallow Taihu Lake(2338 km^(2)in average depth of 2.12 m)in China were examined.Changes in submersed macrophyte coverage(C_(Mac))and phytoplankton chlorophyll a(Chl a)in the time series and their relationships with environmental factors were analyzed.During the field investigation from August 2018 to May 2019,nutrients and Chl a showed obvious heterogeneity across the lake,being generally higher in the western and northern areas and lower in the southeast area,while C_(Mac)was only observed in the eastern areas,e.g.,East Taihu Lake,Xukou Bay,and Gonghu Bay.During the long-term monitoring from 1959 to 2019 in the Central Region,Meiliang Bay,and East Taihu Lake,Chl a increased significantly in the time series.C_(Mac)varied slightly among different subareas,always at low levels(<10%)in the Central Region and Meiliang Bay but at relatively high levels in East Taihu Lake(10%–90%).Frequency distributions of response variables had no multimodality except for C_(Mac)in East Taihu Lake,with two peaks between 15%and 20%and between 55%and 60%.A dual relationship was found between Chl a and total phosphorus(TP)in the areas with and without macrophytes,while C_(Mac)showed no relationship with TP,and submersed macrophytes did not flourish in the Central Region and Meiliang Bay even when TP was at very low levels(≈10 mg/m3).Taihu Lake had similar algal turbidity(TurbAlg)as small-to mediumsized lakes but generally presented with higher values of nonalgal turbidity(TurbNonAlg),as did their contribution to total turbidity as a percentage.This study suggested that large shallow Taihu Lake may have no alternative stable states,but more evidence is needed for East Taihu Lake,which was dominated by macrophytes,as it remains unknown whether hysteresis occurs between the processes of eutrophication and oligotrophication.Unfavorable conditions caused by wind might be the main reason due to the absence of submersed macrophytes in Taihu Lake.These results demonstrate that stricter nutrient control is needed to maintain a healthy state or to recover from a decayed state for large lakes.

Cyanobacteria-/cyanotoxin-contaminations and eutrophication status before Wuxi Drinking Water Crisis in Lake Taihu, China

After the appalling ＂Wuxi Drinking Water Crisis＂, increasing investigations concerning the contaminations of cyanobacterial blooms and their toxins in Lake Taihu have been performed and reported in the last two years. However, information regarding these issues before the crisis in 2007 remained insufficient. To provide some background data for further comparisons, the present study reported our investigations conducted in 2004, associated with the cyanotoxin contaminations as well as the eutrophication status in Lake Taihu. Results from the one-year-study near a drinking water resource for Wuxi City indicated that, unlike the status in recent two years, cyanobacteria and chlorophyta are the co-dominance species throughout the year. The highest toxin concentration （34.2 ng/mL） in water columns occurred in August. In bloom biomass, the peak value of intracellular toxin （0.59 μg/mg DW） was determined in October, which was lag behind that in water column. In addition, MC-RR was the major toxin variant throughout the year. During the study period, nutrients levels of total nitrogen and phosphorus were also recorded monthly. Results from the present study will lead to a better understanding of the eutrophication status and the potential risks before ＂Wuxi Drinking Water Crisis＂.

Influence of Chironomid Larvae on oxygen and nitrogen fluxes across the sediment-water interface(Lake Taihu,China)

The microscale distribution of oxygen,the nitrogen flux and the denitrification rates in sediment inhabited by chironomid larvae（Tanypus chinensis） were measured in eutrophic Lake Taihu,China.The presence of the chironomids in the sediment increased the oxygen diffusional flux from 10.4 ± 1.4 to 12.7 ± 2.5 mmol O 2 /（m 2 ·day）.The burrows of the larvae represented ＂hot spots＂ and strongly influenced the nitrogen cycles and diagenetic activity in the sediment.The results indicate that the bioturbation effects of Tanypus chinensis chironomid larvae increased the capacity of the sediment as a sink for nitrate and a source for ammonium.Nitrate influx and ammonium outflux were increased 8.8 and 1.7 times,respectively.Under bioturbation,the amount of nitrate consumed was greater than the amount of ammonium released.The total denitrification rate was also enhanced from 0.76 ± 0.34 to 5.50 ± 1.30 mmol N/（m 2 ·day）.The net effect was that the bioturbated sediments acted as a net sink for inorganic nitrogen under direct and indirect bioturbation effects compared to the control.

Speciation of organic phosphorus in a sediment profile of Lake Taihu I:Chemical forms and their transformation

Organic phosphorus （nonreactive E NRP） is a major component of P in sediments, but information about its chemical forms and dynamic transformation is limited. The chemical forms and dynamic behaviors of NRP in a sediment profile from Lake Talhu, a freshwater and eutrophic lake in China, were investigated. Five forms of NRP in the sediments were extracted based on a chemical fractionation technique, including easily labile NRP （NaHCO3-NRP）, reactive metal oxide-bound NRP （HCl-NRP）, humic acid-associated NRP （NaOH-NRPnA）, fulvic acid-associated NRP （NaOH-NRPFA） and residual NRP （Res-TP）. There were notable transformations with increasing sediment depth from the labile NaHCOa-NRP and NaOH-NRP pools to the recalcitrant HCl-NRP and Res-TP pools, which caused the NRP to become increasingly recalcitrant as the early diagenetic processes proceeded. Further analyses showed that the relative changes in contents of organic matter and reactive Fe oxides in the sediment profile triggered a competition for binding NRP fractions and led to the transformation of NRP. The results highlighted the importance of abiotic processes in regulating the diagenesis of organic P and its stability in sediments.

THREEDIMENSIONAL NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF WINDINDUCED CIRCULATION IN LAKE TAIHU

A three-dimensional (3-D) numerical circulation model for shallow-lake ispresented and described in detail in this paper, which employs model-splitting technique in order tocalculate water level, mean-depth velocities and horizontal and vertical velocities at differentdepth simultaneously. The results show the current circulation pattern features four eddies with twoclockwise and two anticlockwise induced by prevailing wind. Opposite wind field will lead toopposite current pattern with phase shifted by 180° The surface convergence zone is located in theupwind area and the surface divergence part in the downwind region, This results in drastic verticalmovement in the two zones and the return currents at the bottom with phase shifted by 180° fromthe surface current vectors. Thus the water level decreases significantly at the leeward side andincreases quickly at the windward part. Verification and calibration for the model were made basedon the water-level and current data observed during the 9711 Storm in Lake Taihu. The predictedresults are in satisfactory agreement with the observed data, which raises the possibility that thismodel can be used to decide the bottom current stress for sediment resuspension and also tosimulate sediment transportation. It can provide a fundamental tool to study the nutrient releasefrom bottom sediment in Lake Taihu.

Speciation of organic phosphorus in a sediment profile of Lake Taihu Ⅱ.Molecular species and their depth attenuation

The understanding of organic phosphorus（P） dynamics in sediments requires information on their species at the molecular level,but such information in sediment profiles is scarce.A sediment profile was selected from a large eutrophic lake,Lake Taihu（China）,and organic P species in the sediments were detected using solution phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy（31 P NMR） following extraction of the sediments with a mixture of 0.25 mol/L NaOH and 50 mmol/L EDTA（NaOH-EDTA） solution.The results showed that P in the NaOH-EDTA extracts was mainly composed of orthophosphate,orthophosphate monoesters,phospholipids,DNA,and pyrophosphate.Concentrations of the major organic P compound groups and pyrophosphate showed a decreasing trend with the increase of depth.Their half-life times varied from 3 to 27 years,following the order of orthophosphate monoesters 〉 phospholipids DNA 〉 pyrophosphate.Principal component analysis revealed that the detected organic P species had binding phases similar to those of humic acid-associated organic P（NaOH-NRP HA）,a labile organic P pool that tends to transform to recalcitrant organic P pools as the early diagenetic processes proceed.This demonstrated that the depth attenuation of the organic P species could be partly attributed to their increasing immobilization by the sediment solids,while their degradation rates should be significantly lower than what were suggested in previous studies.

Perfluorocarboxylic acids(PFCAs)and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates(PFASs)in surface and tap water around Lake Taihu in China

Perfluorinated compounds(PFCs)are ubiquitously distributed in the environment mainly as perfluorocarboxylic acids(PFCAs)and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates(PFASs).In this paper,six PFCAs and two PFASs were quantified in surface and tap water samples from 12 sites around Lake Taihu near Shanghai City in East China.Predominant PFCs were perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA)and perfluorooctane sulfonate(PFOS),of which the concentration ranges were 6.8–206 and 1.2–45 ng·L^(–1),the geometric means were 35.3 and 9.4 ng·L^(–1),and the median(quartile range)values were 31.4(34.4)and 10.4(10.7)ng·L^(–1),respectively.Other PFCs were also detected but in much lower concentrations than PFOA.The sources of the PFCs were expected to be direct industrial discharges in the Lake Taihu area,and this area was also a possible source of PFCs contaminations in Shanghai district in the downstream.PFCs distributions were found different in the upstream,downstream and north part of Lake Taihu.Occurrences of PFCs in the tap water in Lake Taihu area indicated their exposure to the local people.A brief estimation of the environmental risks by PFCs implied no acute or immediate risks from PFCs to local human health,but chronic risks from PFOA in the tap water should be considered in the downstream regions.

Off-flavor compounds from decaying cyanobacterial blooms of Lake Taihu

The effect of cyanobacterial bloom decay on water quality and the complete degradation of cyanobacterial blooms in a short period were examined by an enclosure experiment in Gonghu Bay of Lake Taihu,China.Water quality parameters as well as taste and odor compounds during the breakdown of cyanobacterial blooms were measured.Results showed that the decay of cyanobacterial blooms caused anoxic water conditions,decreased pH,and increased nutrient loading to the lake water.The highest concentrations of dimethyl sulfide （DMS）,dimethyl trisulfide （DMTS）,and β-cyclocitral were observed in the anoxic water,at 62331.8,12413.3,and 1374.9 ng/L,respectively.2-Methylisoborneol was dominant during the live growth phase of cyanobacterial blooms,whereas DMS and DMTS were dominant during the decomposition phase.Dissolved oxygen,pH,and chlorophyll a were negatively correlated with DMS,DMTS,and β-cyclocitral,whereas total phosphorus,total nitrogen,and ammonium （NH4＋-N） were positively correlated with DMS,DMTS,β-cyclocitral,and β-ionone.The experimental results suggested that preventing the anaerobic decomposition of cyanobacterial blooms is an important strategy against the recurrence of a malodor crisis in Lake Taihu.

Influence of sunlight on the proliferation of cyanobacterial blooms and its potential applications in Lake Taihu, China

To learn the relationship between sunlight intensity and cyanobacterial proliferations for the further control of the heavy blooms, enclosure experiment were conducted in Meiliang Bay, Lake Taihu by regulating the natural light intensities with different shading ratio （0% （full sunlight）, 10%, 25%, 50% and 75% of original natural sunlight intensities） from September to November in 2010. The results indicated that phytoplankton biomass （mean） decreased significantly when the shading ratios reached 50% or more. Higher shading ratios （e.g. 75%） were very efficient in controlling the average and total cyanobacterialbloom biomass, while 50% shading ratio was proven very effective either in controlling the peak value of phytoplankton biomass or postponing the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Talhu. In addition, phytoplankton composition and photosynthesis efficiency were also affected by altering the shading ratios, and in turn, they might also act on phytoplankton growth. Based on the results from the present study, intermediate shading strategies such as regulation of water level or turbidity through the hydrology regulations would probably be an effective and efficient method in controlling cyanobacterial blooms in large and shallow lakes.

Soil fauna diversity at different stages of reed restoration in a lakeshore wetland at Lake Taihu,China

Introduction:Wetland soil fauna support material cycling and restoration processes in wetland ecosystems.In our study,we observed variations in wetland soil fauna on the shores of Lake Taihu,China.We examined the relationships between fauna and major environmental factors,and looked at the short-and long-term changes in reed wetlands under restoration and in the natural reed lakeshore.Outcomes:We identified 93 groups of soil fauna in different wetlands and found significant differences in the lakeshore wetlands’soil fauna assemblages,depending on the length of the restoration period.By analyzing the soil fauna community evenness,dominance,number of taxa,and diversity,we found minimal seasonal variation in the soil fauna community diversity and abundance.The abundance of soil fauna in the sites under restoration decreased with depth below the soil surface.The reed restoration was obvious in the succession of the soil fauna groups in the long-term site.Although the restoration had an overall positive long-term effect on the soil fauna communities,there were no obvious short-term changes in the number of individuals.Conclusion:The study explored various potential measures to restore soil fauna in the Lake Taihu wetland and developed a theoretical basis for restoring the lakeshore wetland ecosystem.