Reedbed succession

Phragmites australis is a common plant of damp and wet ground, which grows in water of normally less than 1m deep. The natural pattern of colonisation is by the extension of rhizomes (up to 1.5m in late summer). In older (uncut) stands the remains of older plants accumulate as litter and the level of the marsh surface becomes raised. This can eventually cause the surface to dry out and for a variety of other marshland plants to invade. Scrub (willow and alder carr) eventually develops with an increasing variety of species. The successional sequence help to define the States and values identified within the guide for restoration purposes. The different stages in succession provide suitable habitat for a range of species, especially birds and invertebrates. An indication of the complex interaction between these stages and other, physical attributes, which help to determine the biological diversity on an individual site are depicted below (after Andrews & Ward 1991).

Caption: Stages in the succession of reedbed in relation to some of the key species which inhabit them

References

Andrews, J. & Ward, D. 1991. The management and creation of reedbeds - especially for rare birds. British Wildlife, 3/2., 81-91.