In nature, reedbeds are basically ’temporary’ habitats. Under normal circumstances, an unmanaged reedbed shows a succession from young reed colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As reedbeds age, they build up a considerable litter layer which eventually rises above ground or water level, and ultimately provides opportunities for scrub or woodland invasion. Naturally developing reedbeds are found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries.

The most part of European reedbed species incorporated in genera Phragmites and Scirpus.

Reedbeds vary in the species they can support, depending on water levels within the wetland system. Those that normally have 20 cm or more of surface water during the summer are referred to as ‘reed swamp’. These often have high invertebrate and bird interest but little botanical interest. Reedbeds with water levels at or below the surface during the summer are often more complex botanically and are known as ‘reed fen’.

Sewage treatment

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Artificial reedbeds (sometimes called "reed fields") are increasingly being adopted for efficient small-scale sewage treatment systems: water trickling through the reed bed is rapidly cleaned up by the extensive root system and its associated microorganisms utilising the sewage for growth nutrients, giving an extremely clean effluent.

See also

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• Constructed wetland

Appropriate technology | Ecology | Sewerage | Waste treatment technology

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