FUNCTIONING OF LAND-WATER ECOTONES IN RELATION TO NUTRIENT CYCLING - APPROACH AND PRELIMINARY-RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION IN THE LITTORAL-ZONE OF THE GOOIMEER, THE NETHERLANDS

Preliminary results of th study on the functioning of the littoral zon e of the Gooimeer, The Netherlands. are presented. The results compris e data on the chemical composition of the open water and the aquatic l ittoral zone. the composition of phytoplankton, metaphyton and epiphyt on. On the basis of these data, the Gooimeer littoral zone is characte rized as an eutrophic land-water ecotone dominated by a few species of primary producers. Some data on characteristic processes concerning t he decomposition of organic matter in rooted littoral sediments are al so discussed. Enzyme activities, relevant to mineralization of macroph ytic polymers, appear to be highly stimulated in the reed belt of the littoral zone. A first impression of the distribution and the efflux o f oxygen in the rhizosphere of reed is given.