Phosphorus is recognized as the most critical nutrient limiting lake productivity. The trophic status and development of lake systems are also influenced by the phosphorus content and fractions and phosphate sorption characteristics of the lake sediments. The phosphorus fractions and phosphate sorption characteristics of sediments in shallow lakes from the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River region in China were investigated. The results show that the phosphorus contents in the sediments ranged from 217.8 to 1640 mg kg(-1); inorganic phosphorus (IP) was the major fraction of total phosphorus (TP); phosphorus bound to Al, Fe, Mn oxides, and hydroxides (Fe/Al-P), and calcium bound phosphor-us (Ca-P) were the main fractions of IP. Phosphate sorption on the sediments mainly occurred within 2 h and then reached equilibrium in 10 h. The phosphate sorption rate was closely related to the concentration of fine particles. The phosphate sorption capacity ranged from 128.21 to 833.33 mg kg(-1), showing a significant correlation with the contents of Fe, Fe + Al, total organic carbon (TOC), cationic exchange capacity, total nitrogen, TP, Ca, IP, and the ratio of P/(AI + Fe), and it was higher in the sediments of eutrophic lakes than in mesotrophic lakes. Phosphate was mainly sorbed onto Fe and Al particles. The phosphate sorption efficiency ranged from 26.74 to 312.50 L kg(-1), and had a strong positive correlation with Fe content. For the eutrophic lake sediments, there were no significant relationships between the phosphate sorption efficiency and the selected physical and chemical parameters. But for the mesotrophic lake sediments, the phosphate sorption efficiency was found to be positively related to the contents of Al and Fe + Al. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.