Succession in Bure Marshes

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Succession has occurred and created a richly biodiverse community

Bure Marshes is a national nature reserve in Horning, Norwich in the East of the UK. Over time succession has occurred in the area and shaped the landscape that can be seen today. Humans have intervened in many ways and taken advantage of the area to aid themselves through cash crops.
Succession is the process of change in the environment over a period of time. The end product of succession is a climax community which involves the environment reaching a secure state. In the UK this community is typically Oak (Quercus) but in Bure Marshes where the land is fairly waterlogged the climax community comprises of Alder (Alnus glutinosa) as it grows very well in wet conditions. Alder is part of the Betulaceae family and is native to the UK. It is particularly important for the symbiotic relationship it has with Frankia alni -  a nitrogen-fixing bacteria that is found in root nodules. The bacterium fixes the nitrogen from the air and makes it available for the Alder to use for DNA and chlorophyll. In return, the tree produces sugars through photosynthesis that the bacterium can then use.
The fens in Bure Marshes
In Bure Marshes, the first stage of succession is water. The artificial Dykes that were dug by hand around 250 years ago for the transportation of goods and materials connect this area of the Norfolk Broads with the major rivers around the area. The second stage of succession here is the fens. The fens are grazed by cattle and also managed by Natural England staff in order to conserve the area. The aim of this management is to achieve an 'uneven and messy' look in order to create a richly diverse area by the creation of many niches. As succession continues, and if grazing and human intervention didn't occur, the community reaches the climax community of Alder woodland. This is a very diverse area but it is quite dark in the centre of the woodland so specialised organisms grow and live here. There are more niches here as the trees vary in height and there is a forest-like stratification with forest floor, understory and canopy like layers where different organisms have niches and thrive in creating rich species diversity.
A section of the Dyke's
Coppiced Alder
The Alder is coppiced as a way of managing it and then the wood can be fences or building material. Coppicing is when the tree is cut back to just above ground level so around the trunk. This allows multiple new shoots to grow. Coppiced woodlands are easy to locate as all the trees grow straight upwards in a uniformed way like in the picture above. This allows Natural England to make some money whilst maintaining and conserving the habitat of Bure Marshes.

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