Invloed van waterplanten en maaibeheer op de ecologie en

Invloed van waterplanten en
maaibeheer op de ecologie
en hydrologie van
waterlopen
Prof. Patrick Meire
Dr. Jonas Schoelynck
Dr. Kris Bal
Ir. Kerst Buis
Veerle Verschoren
Platform Beek- en Rivierherstel Beheer en Onderhoud
Arnhem, April 17, 2014
Interaction
Macrophyte biodiversity
Biochemistry
O2, nutrients, turbidity, …
Geomorphology
Sedimentation and erosion
Ecological quality
Water quality
Structural quality
1
Part 1: Macrophyte growth and diversity
2
Macrophyte occurrence in the Nete
catchment
Macrophyte occurrence in the Nete
catchment
Seasonal variation
Macrophyte occurrence in the Nete
catchment… Zooming in on the Aa
subcatchment
Yearly variation
350
2006
2005
-2
biomass (g m )
300
2004
250
2003
200
150
100
50
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
months
8
9
10
11
12
Macrophyte occurrence in the Nete
catchment… Zooming in on the Aa
subcatchment
Species variation
Biomass (g m-2)
2003
2004
2005
c
120
90
60
b
c
30
b
a
b
a a
a
b c
a
a
a a
a
a a
a a
b
0
Cplat
Cdeme
Enutt
Pnata
Ssagi
Semer
Spect
Part 2: How do macrophytes shape our rivers?
7
Study area: Zwarte Nete
± 4.5 m
Retie
8
Callitriche platycarpa patches, Zwarte Nete, Retie
Zwarte Nete
April
May
June
July
Mowed
August
September
9
Different patch sizes  1 pattern
Power law
10
Patch size distribution gives rise to a power-law distribution.
This is a strong indication for an ecosystem that is self-organised.
Scale-dependent feedbacks between organisms and their
environment are a necessary condition for self-organisation.
11
What are scale-dependent feedbacks?
12
Patch formation as a result of scale-dependent feedbacks
These are feedbacks between
organism and environment which
are positive on a short distance
from the organism but become
negative further away.
Negative feedback is erosion
next to the patches
Positive feedback is
sedimentation inside the
patches
13
Positive effect: sedimentation in patch (theory)
current
14
Positive effect: sedimentation in patch (field setup 1)
•
•
2013-2014 monthly measurement
Bathymetry is measurend in and around a developping patch
15
Positive effect: sedimentation in patch (results1)
June
Top view
•
July
•
August
•
•
Width of frame: 250
cm
Length of frame:
100cm
Green: sedimentation
Red: erosion
September
16
Positive and negtive effect: sedimentation in
patch, erosion next to the patch (field setup 2)
Faster current (+30%)  but is there erosion?
Slow current (up to -100%)  increased sedimentation
17
Fast current, no erosion. Where is negative feedback?
18
But then where is the negative feedback?
Field experiment 3: impact of the stream velocity on plants
+
Transplantation experiment with
Callitriche platycarpa
2008 and 2009
Initial mass: 25 - 100 g
0
_
Duration: 6 weeks
19
Negative
feedback
20
Part 4: How do macrophytes affect river water quality?
21
Experimental setup on the Aa
Upstream gate
Downstream gate
Middel
± 1,5 km
Slootbeek
22
Measurements
•
Stream velocity profile
•
Measurements on water samples (open water & within macrophytes)
-
-
Every 2 hours (O2, temperature, pH, conductivity, N-NH4+, N-NO2-, N-NO3-,
P-PO43-)
Every 4 hours (BOD, SO42-, Cl-, chlorophyll a, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+)
23
(MANUDYN I Report)
24
15N
experiments
•
P. natans and C. platycarpa
•
Standard Kilham (1998) nutrient solution
•
15N
NH4 + NO3 addition for 4-6 h
(MANUDYN II Report., 2011)
25
Contribution of different plant traits to N
uptake (%)
Shoot uptake more important in nutrient
rich water
(MANUDYN II Report, 2011)
26
-1
Total nitrogen balance (kg N dag )
213-550
205-480
1-3
But this is only
temporarily storage!!!
(MANUDYN I Report)
27
Impact on biogeochemistry
Current
Macro-invertebrates
POM
Sedimentation
Bacteria
Nutrients
28
Patch is hotspot for organic
matter accumulation
8-month period field
measurements
Eutrophic river
Oligotrophic
river
29
Increasing organic matter with increasing biomass
Patches are hotspots for organic matter accumulation
30
Permanent nitrogen removal
31
Underlying mechanisms are interactions between
hydraulics, vegetation, nutrient availability,
physical stress by high velocity, and more….
Macrophyte growth stimulated
Macrophyte patch
vpatch=low
High nutrient content
High organic carbon
High mineralisation
High denitrification
Discharge
SS
vfree=high
Sedimentation
Low organic carbon
Free
– cascade effects / feedback
32
Part 5: A difficult balance between water management and ecology.
33
Situation in Flanders
34
ECOBE archive
Situation in Flanders
• Since 60-ties: deterioration of river quality, mainly by unlimited nutrient input and intensive bank
reinforcement
 Loss of macrophytes
• Since early 90-ties: implementation of EU Directive on Urban Wastewater: water quality
improvement
• Since late 90-ties: management activities improving structural quality (e.g. re-meandering, fish
traps…)
 Macrophytes make a comeback
• Since 2000: macrophytes implemented in EU Water Framework Directive
But still too many nutrients… resulting in large biomass production
35
River Aa: 2003 – 2006: dominance by P. natans
Aa, Poederlee
Example river Aa: 2003 – 2006: dominance by P. natans
1. Increased maximum biomass
2. Prolonged
growth period
Many practical management questions
1. How much vegetation do we remove in order to prevent flooding?
2. When do we have to remove aquatic plants and how often?
3. Why is re-growth so fast?
A difficult balance between water management and
ecology.
Costs
•
•
740.000€ per year
Ecological cost
40
A difficult balance between water management and
ecology.
Benefits
•
•
Efficient
for economy, households,
industry, agriculture
1x maaien
2x maaien
30 cm
41
A difficult balance between water management and
ecology.
How about sustainability???
•
Regrowth after a few weeks  remowing necessary
•
What about all unknown parameters/effects?
42
A difficult balance between water management and
ecology.
Annelies Boerema et al, 2013
•
Cost-benefit analysis mowing in
the Nete Catchment
•
All possible ESS
•
Division over stakeholders
43
A difficult balance between water management and
ecology.
“we conclude that aquatic vegetation removal in the Nete catchment is not economically efficient, costs
and benefits are not equally shared and the management technique as applied today is not sustainable”
Boerema et al. Economic valuation of ecosystem services, a case study for aquatic vegetation removal in the Nete Catchment, Belgium. Ecosystem Services
In press
Hoe dan wel???
44
Can we come up with an optimal mowing strategy?
Different patterns
 full


empty
Flume Flanders Hydraulics, Borgerhout
45
(Bal et al., 2011)
Can we come up with an optimal mowing strategy?

 full


 empty
Average Manning n for each pattern
0.6
Manning
0.5
0.4
10 times lower
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
1
2
3
4
5
Patroon nummer
46
(Bal et al., 2011)
Mogelijke oplossingen
• alternatieve oplossingen? Waarom zijn er zoveel waterplanten en kan dat
niet voorkomen komen? (waterzuivering, beschaduwing...)
• brede en schuine oevers (lokaal bergende capaciteit)
• maaien wanneer het echt moet  objectieve criteria zijn nodig  meer
onderzoek + verandering in beleid
• wanneer toch gemaaid wordt, krijgt patroon maaien de voorkeur
47
Conclusie
• Macrofyten dragen in belangrijke mate aan de
structuur van waterlopen door patroonvorming
via een proces van zelforganisatie
• Macrofyten spelen een belangrijke rol in het
zuiverend vermogen van waterlopen zowel
direct, maar vooral indirect door de transfer
van water naar bodem te bevorderen. Ze zijn
“hotspots of biogeochemistry”.
48
• Het beheer van macrofyten leidt tot een
maatschappelijke meerkost door het verlies
aan ecosysteemdiensten
• Geoptimaliseerd beheer waarbij een beperkte
hoeveelheid macrofyten wordt verwijderd is
een goede oplossing
• Meer inzicht is nodig in de gevolgen van
maaibeheer op hergroei en ruimtelijke
patronen.
49
Onderzoek aan waterplanten bij Ecobe: een
geïntegreerde aanpak
Individuele plant
• Nutriëntenuitwisseling (N, P, Si)
• Sterke (drag, fysiologie...)
Patches
• Effect op bathymeterie (sedimentatie/erosie)
• Effect op bodemchemie (organisch materiaal)
Reach
• Ruimtelijke verdeling (patch distributie)
• Opstuwing (manning, maaien)
• Afbraak van organisch materiaal
• Nutriëntretentie
50