Terrestrializing fen vegetation in former turbaries in the Netherlands

Wirdum, G. van; Held, A. J. Den; Schmitz, Marianne

doi:10.1007/978-94-015-7997-1_7

Cited by 42 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Lakes are treated in detail by De Haan et al (1993), and marshes in recent embankments by Joenje & Verhoeven (1993). As various aspects of Dutch fenlands have been dealt with in quite some detail by Den , Koerselman & Verhoeven (1992), Van Wirdum et al (1992), Vermeer & Joosten (1992) and Wiegers (1992), there is no separate chapter on them in this volume. Some special attention is paid to them in the present chapter, however.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An ecosystems approach to base-rich freshwater wetlands, with special reference to fenlands

Wirdum¹

1993

Hydrobiologia

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A survey of base-rich wetlands in The Netherlands is presented. The main area of their occurrence is the low-lying Holocene part of the country, until some thousand years ago a large and coherent wetland landscape: the Holland wetland. The development of various parts of the Holland wetland into marshes, fens and bogs can be understood from hydrological relations in mire basins, as recognized in the distinction of primary, secondary and tertiary mire basin stages. Presently, the remnants of the Holland wetland are separate base-rich wetlands. The succession of their vegetation reflects various abiotic conditions and human influences. Three main developmental periods are distinguished as regards these factors. The first, geological period of mire development is seen as a post-glacial relaxation, with the inertia due to the considerable mass of wetland as a stabilizing factor. Biological "grazing" influences, as an aspect of utilization by humans, converted base-rich wetlands to whole new types in the second, historical period. Presently, mass and harvesting have decreased in importance, and actual successions in terrestrializing turbaries seem to reflect rapidly changing environmental conditions. Human control could well become the most important factor in the future development of wetland nature. The present value of open fen vegetation strongly depends on the continuation of the historical harvesting. The development of wooded fen may help to increase the mass of wetland in the future. Best results in terms of biodiversity are expected when their base state is maintained through water management.The vegetation and hydrology of floating fens in terrestrializing turbaries is treated in some more detail. Various lines and phases in the succession are distinguished. Open fen vegetation at base-rich, yet nutrient-poor sites is very rich in species threatened elsewhere. The fast acidification of certain such fens is attributed to hydrological and management factors. This acidification is illustrated in the profile of a floating raft sample. At the scale of these small fens, the elemental structure comprising base-rich fen, transitional fen and bog vegetation, is not as' stable as it was in the large Holland wetland. A critical role seems to be played by the supply of bases with the water influx. The changing base state is supposed to change the nutrient cycling to such an extent that it would be correct to call this trophic excitation of the ecosystem, rather than just eutrophication. Eutrophication indicates a quantitative reaction to an increased nutrient supply, the internal system being unaltered. The drainage of fens, resulting in an increased productivity of the vegetation, provides another example of excitation, to the effect that the functional system is dramatically changed internally.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An ecosystems approach to base-rich freshwater wetlands, with special reference to fenlands

Wirdum¹

1993

Hydrobiologia

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“…As many as 35 different vegetation types have been described for such habitats in The Netherlands (Van Wirdum et al 1992). There are three different succession series, which each characterize a specific water chemistry in the openwater stage, i.e.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The species-rich plant communities in the terrestrializing fens in turf ponds are undergoing succession and can be attributed to the Phragmites and the brownmoss succession series, which are typically associated with mesotrophic and slightly eutrophic conditions (Van Wirdum et al 1992;Verhoeven and Bobbink 2001). These conditions were quite common in The Netherlands until the 1950s and occurred in groundwater discharge areas and floodplain areas of streams and small rivers.…”

Section: Historical Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…brackish, fresh mesotrophic and fresh eutrophic. The succession goes through seven stages (aquatic, floating raft, helophyte, brownmoss, transitional fen and carr) and has been described by spacefor-time substitution of an extensive database of vegetation relevées (Van Wirdum et al 1992; Verhoeven and Bobbink 2001, Online Resource 1).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, peat dredging in the fen meadow areas in the Western Netherlands, starting in the 18 th century, has resulted in landscapes with rectilinear, narrow and shallow fen ponds, often called 'turf ponds'. These fen pond complexes now show a remarkable botanical richness with plant communities characteristic for the succession from open water to fen wetland (Van Wirdum et al 1992;Verhoeven and Bobbink 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Delineating landscape-scale processes of hydrology and plant dispersal for species-rich fen conservation: the Operational Landscape Unit approach

Verhoeven

Beltman

Janssen

et al. 2017

Wetlands Ecol Manage

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Restoration and conservation of speciesrich nature reserves requires inclusion of landscapescale connections and transport processes such as hydrologic flows and species dispersal. These are important because they provide suitable habitat conditions and an adequate species pool. This study aimed at identifying the key hydrologic flows and plant dispersal processes affecting a landscape with speciesrich fen reserves where restoration measures are carried out to set back succession. It also intended to use this information for delineating the area relevant for conservation planning on an Operational Landscape Unit map. The study was carried out for complexes of fen ponds in former turbaries in the Vechtplassen area, The Netherlands. A number of recent insights on plant dispersal were integrated with knowledge on hydrologic flows in the present approach. The results showed that groundwater discharge to ensure mesotrophic, base-rich conditions, should be enhanced by restoring the groundwater recharge areas NE of the reserves. A nearby lake with suitable water chemistry was also identified as a key source of surface water to feed the fens in dry periods. Water dispersal was identified as important within the fen reserves, whereas dispersal by daily migrating dabbling ducks, typically occurring over 2-3 km, was the most important route connecting the reserves with the surrounding landscape. The delineation of the Operational Landscape Unit for this region provides a basis for conservation and restoration that take fundamental landscape connections and transport processes into account. This unique approach simultaneously considers hydrological transport processes as well as species dispersal in the larger landscape beyond the reserves themselves and therefore leads to greater success of restoration and conservation.

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References

2012

Restoration Ecology

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Terrestrializing fen vegetation in former turbaries in the Netherlands

Cited by 42 publications

References 11 publications

An ecosystems approach to base-rich freshwater wetlands, with special reference to fenlands

An ecosystems approach to base-rich freshwater wetlands, with special reference to fenlands

Delineating landscape-scale processes of hydrology and plant dispersal for species-rich fen conservation: the Operational Landscape Unit approach

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