Lake biel’s plant life thrives after decades of recovery
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Scientists in the canton of Bern, Switzerland, observed increased diversity among aquatic plants in Lake Biel.
For decades, the lake suffered from over-fertilization, but water quality has improved thanks to wastewater treatment and a ban on phosphates in detergents. Researchers found 24 plant species last year, double the number present in the 1980s, and noted that some plants now grow to depths of 13 meters. The recovery is particularly evident in the resurgence of hornwort algae.
These algae disappeared from Lake Biel entirely in 1976 but now cover 64 percent of the area examined by researchers. Hornwort provides habitat for fish, snails, and aquatic insects, and also stabilizes the lakebed. However, the ecosystem still faces new challenges. The canton’s Office for Water and Waste is monitoring the impact of invasive species like Nuttall’s waterweed, which currently covers about 10 percent of the lake, and the quagga mussel.
Researchers will not reassess the plant life for another ten years, and they anticipate that warmer water temperatures due to climate change may reduce oxygen levels and stress some organisms.
