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Succession of aquatic vegetation driven by reduced water-level fluctuations in floodplain lakes

  1. G. J. VAN GEEST1,2,*,
  2. H. COOPS3,
  3. R. M. M. ROIJACKERS1,
  4. A. D. BUIJSE3,
  5. M. SCHEFFER1

Article first published online: 14 MAR 2005

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.00995.x

Issue

Journal of Applied Ecology

Journal of Applied Ecology

Volume 42, Issue 2, pages 251–260, April 2005

Additional Information

How to Cite

VAN GEEST, G. J., COOPS, H., ROIJACKERS, R. M. M., BUIJSE, A. D. and SCHEFFER, M. (2005), Succession of aquatic vegetation driven by reduced water-level fluctuations in floodplain lakes. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42: 251–260. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.00995.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management, Wageningen University, PO Box 8080, 6700 DD Wageningen, the Netherlands;

  2. 2

    Centre for Limnology (NIOO-KNAW), Rijksstraatweg 6, 3631 AC, Nieuwersluis, the Netherlands; and

  3. 3

    Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment, RIZA, PO Box 17, 8200 AA Lelystad, the Netherlands

* G. J. Van Geest, Centre for Limnology (NIOO-KNAW), Rijksstraatweg 6, 3631 AC, Nieuwersluis, the Netherlands (e-mail g.vangeest@nioo.knaw.nl).

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 14 MAR 2005
  2. Article first published online: 14 MAR 2005
  3. Received 23 March 2004; final copy received 24 October 2004

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Keywords:

  • connectivity;
  • drawdown;
  • exposure;
  • macrophytes;
  • river regulation;
  • riverine vegetation

Summary

  • 1
    In recent years, interest has grown in restoring floodplain function of regulated rivers. Successful rehabilitation of riparian systems requires knowledge of how regulation of river flow affects biodiversity and ecosystem function. The effects of changes in the river's low water-level regime on aquatic ecosystems in floodplains has received little attention so far.
  • 2
    The aquatic vegetation of 215 floodplain lakes along the Lower Rhine (the Netherlands) was analysed in relation to lake characteristics and lake water-level fluctuations in 1999–2000.
  • 3
    Vegetation composition was related to lake morphology and age, cattle access to the shoreline, the amount of time the river was in flood, and lake sediment area exposed at low water level (drawdown). Surprisingly, vegetation composition was correlated more strongly with lake age and occurrence of drawdown than the amount of time the river was in flood.
  • 4
    In older lakes, water-level fluctuations are reduced due to an accumulation of clay and silt that ‘seals’ sediment, preventing drawdown during periods of low river levels. Our results suggest that this clay sealing process is a major driving force for aquatic vegetation succession in floodplain lakes along the Lower Rhine, as succession drives from desiccation-tolerant species (e.g. Chara spp.) in young lakes to desiccation-sensitive species (e.g. Nuphar lutea) in old lakes.
  • 5
    Water levels were stable in lakes along a river branch that was impounded below mean flow only. Here, the original low water-level regime has been replaced by an artificial regime with higher water levels than would be expected naturally. Consequently, in these lakes drawdown was rare or absent, and the aquatic macrophyte vegetation was characterized by low species richness and frequent dominance by the invasive species Elodea nuttallii.
  • 6
    Synthesis and applications. Our results show that stabilization of river water levels during low flow may negatively affect vegetation composition and succession in floodplain lakes adjacent to these rivers. A management scheme including incidental temporary lowering of the river water level, which results in drawdown of floodplain lakes, would enhance the ecological status of those rivers with stabilized water levels during low flow.
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