The Water Framework Directive requires that lakes be separated into types using physical and chemical factors such as altitude, lake area, depth and alkalinity. The objective of establishing a typology is to minimise variation in biological communities in ‘reference’ condition. Rather than imposing arbitrary physical and chemical boundaries to types (as in system A of the WFD) an alternative approach is to examine lakes of potential reference condition to determine the different types of macrophyte communities expected under natural conditions. Sixty-three lakes of potential reference condition were sampled in 2002 in the Republic of Ireland. Alkalinity was found to be the main factor determining differences in macrophyte composition in the lakes.
BOWMAN J.;
FREE Gary;
CARONI R.;
DONNELLY K.;
LITTLE R.;
MCGARRIGLE M.L.;
TIERNEY D.;
KENNEDY N.;
IRVINE K.;
2006-02-17
JRC32588
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC32588,
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