A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a

succession Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. Governance and politics *Order of succession, in politics, the ascension to power by one ruler, official, or monarch after the death, resignation, or removal from office of ...

from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As reedbeds age, they build up a considerable litter layer that eventually rises above the water level and that ultimately provides opportunities in the form of new areas for larger terrestrial plants such as

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s and trees to colonise. Artificial reedbeds are used to remove pollutants from greywater, and are also called

constructed wetlands A constructed wetland is an artificial wetland to treat sewage, greywater, stormwater runoff or industrial wastewater. It may also be designed for land reclamation after mining, or as a mitigation step for natural areas lost to land development. ...

.Does Botanical Diversity in Sewage Treatment Reed Beds Enhance Invertebrate Diversity?
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Types

Reedbeds vary in the species that they can support, depending upon water levels within the wetland system, climate, seasonal variations, and the nutrient status and salinity of the water. ''Reed swamps'' have 20 cm or more of surface water during the summer and often have high invertebrate and bird species use. ''Reed fens'' have water levels at or below the surface during the summer and are often more botanically complex. Reeds and similar plants do not generally grow in very acidic water; so, in these situations, reedbeds are replaced by

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

s and vegetation such as

poor fen A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. It is one of the main types of wetlands along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires. The ...

. Although common reeds are characteristic of reedbeds, not all vegetation dominated by this species is characteristic of reedbeds. It also commonly occurs in unmanaged, damp grassland and as an understorey in certain types of damp woodland.

Wildlife

Most European reedbeds mainly comprise common reed ('' Phragmites australis'') but also include many other tall monocotyledons adapted to growing in wet conditions – other grasses such as reed sweet-grass (''

Glyceria maxima ''Glyceria maxima'' (syn. ''G. aquatica'' (L.) Wahlenb.; ''G. spectabilis'' Mert. & W.D.J. Koch; ''Molinia maxima'' Hartm.; ''Poa aquatica'' L.), commonly known as great manna grass, reed mannagrass, reed sweet-grass, and greater sweet-grass is a ...

''), Canary reed-grass ('' Phalaris arundinacea'') and small-reed ('' Calamagrostis'' species), large sedges (species of '' Carex'', '' Scirpus'', '' Schoenoplectus'', '' Cladium'' and related

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

), yellow flag iris ('' Iris pseudacorus''), reed-mace ("bulrush" – ''

Typha ''Typha'' is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrush or reedmace, in American English as reed, cattail, or punks, in A ...

'' species), water-plantains (''

Alisma ''Alisma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Alismataceae, members of which are commonly known as water-plantains. The genus consists of aquatic plants with leaves either floating or submerged, found in a variety of still water hab ...

'' species), and flowering rush (''

Butomus umbellatus ''Butomus umbellatus'' is a Eurasian plant species in the family Butomaceae. It is the only species in the family. Common names include flowering rush or grass rush. Introduced into North America as an ornamental plant it has now become a serious ...

''). Many

dicotyledon The dicotyledons, also known as dicots (or, more rarely, dicotyls), are one of the two groups into which all the flowering plants (angiosperms) were formerly divided. The name refers to one of the typical characteristics of the group: namely, t ...

s also occur, such as water mint ('' Mentha aquatica''), gipsywort (''

Lycopus europaeus ''Lycopus europaeus'', common names gypsywort, gipsywort, bugleweed, European bugleweed and water horehound, is a perennial plant in the genus ''Lycopus'', native to Europe and Asia, and naturalized elsewhere. Another species, ''Lycopus american ...

''), skull-cap (''

Scutellaria ''Scutellaria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. They are known commonly as skullcaps. The generic name is derived from the Latin ''scutella'', meaning "a small dish, tray or platter",Impatiens noli-tangere ''Impatiens noli-tangere'' (touch-me-not balsam; Latin ''impatiēns'' "impatient" or "not allowing", and ''nōlī tangere'' "do not touch": literally "be unwilling to touch") is an annual herbaceous plant in the family Balsaminaceae found in dam ...

''), brooklime ('' Veronica beccabunga'') and water forget-me-nots ('' Myosotis'' species). Many animals are adapted to living in and around reedbeds. These include mammals such as Eurasian otter, European beaver, water vole,

Eurasian harvest mouse The harvest mouse (''Micromys minutus'') is a small rodent native to Europe and Asia. It is typically found in fields of cereal crops, such as wheat and oats, in reed beds and in other tall ground vegetation, such as long grass and hedgerows. It ...

and water shrew, and birds such as great bittern, purple heron,

European spoonbill The Eurasian spoonbill (''Platalea leucorodia''), or common spoonbill, is a wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The genus name ''Platalea'' is from Latin and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the b ...

, water rail (and other rails),

purple gallinule Purple gallinule is an alternative name for two species of birds in the rail family. It can refer to: * Purple swamphen, a group of closely related species of swamphen of the Old World * American purple gallinule The purple gallinule (''Porphyr ...

, marsh harrier, various

warbler Various Passeriformes (perching birds) are commonly referred to as warblers. They are not necessarily closely related to one another, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal, and insectivorous. Sylvioid warblers Th ...

s ( reed warbler, sedge warbler etc.), bearded reedling and reed bunting.

Uses

Constructed wetlands

Constructed wetlands are artificial swamps (sometimes called ''reed fields'') using reed or other marshland plants to form part of small-scale

sewage Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residenc ...

treatment systems. Water trickling through the reedbed is cleaned by microorganisms living on the root system and in the litter. These organisms utilize the sewage for growth

nutrient A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excret ...

s, resulting in a clean

effluent Effluent is wastewater from sewers or industrial outfalls that flows directly into surface waters either untreated or after being treated at a facility. The term has slightly different meanings in certain contexts, and may contain various pollut ...

. The process is very similar to aerobic conventional sewage treatment, as the same organisms are used, except that conventional treatment systems require artificial aeration.

Treatment ponds

Treatment ponds are small versions of constructed wetlands which uses reedbeds or other marshland plants to form an even smaller water treatment system. Similar to constructed wetlands, water trickling through the reedbed is cleaned by microorganisms living on the root system and in the litter. Treatment ponds are used for the water treatment of a single house or a small neighbourhood.

Gallery

Svyatoshyn ponds5.JPG, Reedbed of '' Phragmites australis'' and ''

Carex acutiformis ''Carex acutiformis'', the lesser pond-sedge, is a species of sedge. Description It grows up to tall, with leaves up to long and wide. Ecology It is native to parts of northern and western Europe, where it grows in moist spots in a number of ...

'' D-Lindau-NSG Reutiner Bucht.JPG, Reedbed of '' Phragmites australis'' and '' Typha latifolia'' File:Miscanthus sp.JPG, Reedbed of ''

Miscanthus ''Miscanthus'', or silvergrass, is a genus of African, Eurasian, and Pacific Island plants in the grass family, Poaceae. ; Species * ''Miscanthus changii'' Y.N.Lee – Korea * ''Miscanthus depauperatus'' Merr. – the Philippines * ''Miscanthus ...

'' Arundo donax 2007 (cropped).JPG, Reedbed of '' Arundo donax''

References

{{Authority control Ecology