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The boundary filtration effect of reed-dominated ecotones under water level fluctuations

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Abstract

The boundary filtration effect of land/water ecotones with reed-bed/ditch systems under water level fluctuations was studied in Baiyangdian Lake of North China. It was found that the changes in reed bed areas which were primarily affected by water level fluctuations and the root channels in the wetland soils together largely determined boundary filtration efficiency. The ecotones displayed the greatest boundary effect at a moderate water level of about 8 m above sea level. The massive root channels in the wetland soils promoted water flowing into the reed beds as far as 8 m horizontally by subsurface in wet years. In dry years, when the water level was below the root channel distribution zone, the lateral water exchange width of ecotones was limited to 0.5 m along the fringe area. It is calculated that, at 8 m water level, the total boundary length of ecotones is 7,273 km and the boundary exchange volume is 5.8 × 106 m3. While at 6.5 m water level, the total boundary length of ecotones is reduced to 2,699 km and the boundary exchange volume is 1.1 × 105 m3. The standard capacity for phosphorus retention was 105.9 and 2.5 tonnes at water levels of 8 and 6.5 m, respectively. This suggests that the boundary filtration effect of reed-bed/ditch wetlands is important for improving the water quality of inland waters, and this effect should be considered in regulating and managing lake water levels.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Haiying Chen and Jing Jiang in the Baoding City Environmental Monitor Station of Hebei Province for their assistance in water sample analyses. Mr. Hongjun Wang is appreciated for his helpful comments on the manuscript. The authors thank Desiree D. Tullos and Alice S. Honig for editorial comments and language corrections. This research was funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (2006CB403306, 2002CB42308) and Innovation Program of the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources (SCX2003-02-04).

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  1. SKLEAC, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China

    Weidong Wang & Chengqing Yin

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  1. Weidong Wang
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  2. Chengqing Yin
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Correspondence to Weidong Wang.

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Wang, W., Yin, C. The boundary filtration effect of reed-dominated ecotones under water level fluctuations. Wetlands Ecol Manage 16, 65–76 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-007-9057-3

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