Sa. Bakker et al., VEGETATION TRANSITIONS OF FLOATING WETLANDS IN A COMPLEX OF TURBARIESBETWEEN 1937 AND 1989 AS DETERMINED FROM AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS WITH GIS, Vegetatio, 114(2), 1994, pp. 161-167
The transition from open water to a swamp forest of a complex of ponds
in the 'Polder Westbroek' (The Netherlands) in the period 1937-1989 i
s studied. Changes between structurally different vegetation types are
determined using remote-sensing data and a Geographical Information S
ystem. The transition follows a clear pathway from open water through
Phargmites/Typha-dominated community and Carex-dominated vegetation, t
o Alnus-dominated vegetation. The rate of this transition shows strong
correspondence to changes in local management, demonstrating the larg
e human impacts on ecosystems in this area.