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A reed bed in summer

Reed beds are a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reed beds are part of a succession from young reed colonising open water or wet ground through a graduation of increasingly dry ground. As reed beds age, they build up a considerable litter layer which eventually rises above the water level, and ultimately provides opportunities for scrub or woodland invasion.

Most European reed beds are composed mainly of common reed (Phragmites australis), but also include other tall monocotyledons adapted to growing in wet conditions, such as large sedges (species of Carex, Scirpus, Schoenoplectus and related genera).

Reed beds vary in the species they can support, depending on water levels within the wetland system, climate, seasonal variations, and the nutrient status and salinity of the water. Those that normally have 20 cm or more of surface water during the summer are referred to as reed swamp. These often have high invertebrate and bird species use. Reed beds with water levels at or below the surface during the summer are often more complex botanically and are known as reed fen. Reeds and similar plants do not generally grow in very acidic or nutrient-poor water, and so in these situations reed beds are replaced by other vegetation, such as bog.

Although common reed is characteristic of reed beds, not all vegetation dominated by this species is reed bed. It also occurs commonly in unmanaged damp grassland and as an understorey in certain types of damp woodland.

A previously sandy lake shore colonised by reeds forming a reed bed.

Main article: Constructed wetlands

Constructed wetlands are artificial swamps (sometimes called reed fields) using reed or other marshland plants to form part of small-scale sewage treatment systems. Water trickling through the reed bed is cleaned by microorganisms living on the root system and in the litter. These utilising the sewage for growth nutrients, resulting in a clean effluent. The process is very similar to aerobic conventional sewage treatment, as the same organisms are used, except that conventional treatment systems require artificial aeration.

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