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The Zuiderzee: transformation of a brackishwater ecosystem

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Lake Veluwe, a Macrophyte-dominated System under Eutrophication Stress

Part of the book series: Geobotany ((GEOB,volume 21))

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Abstract

In 1932 the Zuiderzee, a brackishwater embayment was closed off from the sea. It was an ecosystem with a salinity gradient ranging from 30 %o S at the entrance to the Wadden Sea to 8%o S in the central part and freshwater conditions at the mouth of rivers discharging into it. Dominant aquatic macrophytes were Zostera and Ruppia species with Potamogeton pectinatus L. occurring in the lower salinity ranges. Fisheries played an important role, especially on Anchovy, Herring, Smelt and Eel. The communities in the Zuiderzee differed quite considerably in species composition from those in the more isolated brackish waters along the coast of The Netherlands, but were similar to those of the brackish Baltic Sea. After the closure, the Zuiderzee ecosystem completely changed into a freshwater ecosystem within 15 years.

After the empolderment of parts of the former Zuiderzee, now called Lake Ussel, Lake Veluwe came into existence as one of the Border Lakes in 1956. Originally, this shallow lake (40 km2, mean depth 1.3m) was inhabited by a variety of submerged macrophytes and a rich associated aquatic macrofauna. However, eutrophication caused a decline in diversity in the early seventies. Towards the mid seventies this development had resulted in a very poor water quality. Only 5% of the lake area was still vegetated by one single species, P. pectinatus. The once abundant charophyte meadows had disappeared completely, as well as a number of other species. The lake seston was dominated by the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria agardhii Gomont. Macrofaunal communities declined and waterfowl numbers showed a sharp decrease. More than 80% of the number of birds originally present disappeared.

The present ecosystem diversity is low compared with the situation during the early days of Lake IJssel. It can also be concluded that the present species richness of Lake Veluwe is less than that of the former Zuiderzee, in spite of the generally low diversity of brackish waters. A compensation of the quality of the brackishwater ecosystems which disappeared will only take place if a dramatic improvement of the water quality of the present Lake Veluwe is achieved.

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Authors
  1. W. van Vierssen
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  2. A. W. Breukelaar
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Wim van Vierssen Michiel Hootsmans Jan Vermaat

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van Vierssen, W., Breukelaar, A.W. (1994). The Zuiderzee: transformation of a brackishwater ecosystem. In: van Vierssen, W., Hootsmans, M., Vermaat, J. (eds) Lake Veluwe, a Macrophyte-dominated System under Eutrophication Stress. Geobotany, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2032-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2032-6_2

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