Goodrich, S; Goldsmith, B; (2017) Heath Lake SSSI, Berkshire: Report on ecological lake monitoring 2016. (ECRC Research Report 178 ). UCL Environmental Change Research Centre: London, UK.

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Abstract

Heath Lake is located in the county of Berkshire (Figure 1) and was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1989 for its “specialist communities of native plants and animals...[and] populations of some uncommon and rare aquatic plant species” (Natural England, 2016). Described as a lowland acid lake with nutrient poor waters, it has historically been habitat to both aquatic and marginal plant communities which are more characteristic of upland lakes in Wales, northern England and Scotland. The SSSI citation lists alternate water-milfoil (Myriophyllum alterniflorum) to be growing abundantly, alongside floating club-rush (Eleogiton fluitans), six-stamened waterwort (Elatine hexandra), blunt-leaved and lesser pondweeds (Potamogeton obtusifolius and Potamogeton pusillus) and shoreweed (Litorella uniflora). In addition to this, Coral Necklace (Illecebrum verticillatum), was reported as present at Heath Lake in Crawley’s 2004 edition of The Flora of Berkshire, and there are records of Pillwort (Pilularia globulifera) (Porley 1994). The distribution of Coral Necklace is currently in decline due to increasingly restricted ranges of heathland habitat and has not been recorded at Heath Lake in recent years. Heath Lake is currently in unfavourable condition due to nutrient enrichment and increased base levels of the lake. This has resulted in a significant and rapid change to the aquatic macrophyte communities both submerged and marginal to the lake.

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