Effects of removal of organic matter on the productivity of heathlands

Diemont, W.H.

doi:10.2307/3235864

Cited by 23 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This was consistent with the results from others (e.g. Berendse 1990;Aerts & Heil 1993;Diemont 1994;Snow & Marrs 1997) and it was concluded that turf cutting successfully restored oligotrophic conditions. However, germination and establishment of A. montana are negatively correlated with turf cutting depth.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Heathland restoration in The Netherlands: Effects of turf cutting depth on germination of Arnica montana

Berg¹,

Vergeer²,

Roelofs³

2003

Applied Vegetation Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Germination experiments were conducted in a heathland after turf cutting and in a climate chamber to investigate the effects of turf cutting depth, aluminium toxicity and aluminium detoxification by humic acids and base cations on the germination and establishment of Arnica montana. Turfs were cut at three different depths, creating a gradient from organic to mineral soils. Germination and establishment of A. montana were negatively correlated with turf cutting depth. The removal of organic matter resulted in a major decrease in organic fraction of the soil and its nutrients. It also resulted in a considerable decrease in moisture content and humic acids. Additional liming after turf cutting increased germination and establishment in all plots and at all depths. Germination experiments under controlled conditions in a climate chamber revealed a significantly higher germination at low aluminium/calcium (Al:Ca) ratios. High Al:Ca ratios resulted in poor germination, suggesting Al toxicity. Addition of humic acids increased germination, even at high Al:Ca ratios, suggesting immobilization of Al by humic acids. It is concluded that turf cutting can have a marked effect on the success of heathland restoration. It results in the intended removal of the eutrophic layer but also in the unintentional removal of much of the buffering mechanisms and/or Al immobilizing compounds. Additional buffering and/or less deep turf cutting may be necessary to allow germination and establishment of rare herbaceous species such as A. montana.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Heathland restoration in The Netherlands: Effects of turf cutting depth on germination of Arnica montana

Berg¹,

Vergeer²,

Roelofs³

2003

Applied Vegetation Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Both turf‐stripping and rotavating cause significant disturbance to the soil and require plants establishing in the gaps created to regenerate either from seed or vegetatively from plant parts left at the new surface. Turf‐stripping removes soil organic matter, creating low nutrient conditions, which Dutch workers have suggested can favour the establishment of Calluna (Diemont & Linthorst Homan 1989; Diemont 1994), while rotavating may result in a pulse of nutrients released from decaying plant parts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of regeneration dynamics following gap creation at two geographically contrasting heathland sites

Britton

Carey²,

Pakeman³

et al. 2000

Journal of Applied Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary1. Lowland Calluna-dominated heathlands are a high priority for conservation in Europe. As an anthropogenic subclimax community they require regular management intervention to maintain their conservation interest. 2. Increasingly, Calluna is disappearing from lowland heathlands and being replaced by grasses, especially in the Netherlands and more recently in south-east England. While Calluna is highly competitive over much of its life cycle, its competitive ability is reduced during the regeneration phase that follows the death of stands or results from management activity. 3. We examined the in¯uence of ®ve factors on regeneration of vegetation in gaps in two broadly similar lowland dry heaths over a 3-year period. These were: geographical location (combining a variety of environmental contrasts); dominant species (Calluna or grasses); management techniques; gap size; and seed source availability. 4. Site location had the greatest eect on patterns of regeneration. Regeneration on the Wirral (north-west England) was faster and more dominated by Calluna than regeneration in Breckland (south-east England), which was dominated by other species including grasses and annual plants. Addition of Calluna seed at the Breckland site failed to increase Calluna cover. It was concluded that climatic or other environmental factors were the most probable cause of poor regeneration. 5. Cover of grasses in regenerating areas was greatest in Breckland, where Deschampsia was able to establish in all gaps where there was a seed source (either in the surrounding vegetation or applied as a treatment). On the Wirral, Deschampsia establishment was limited, even in gaps where a seed source was applied. 6. This work has implications for the conservation management of heathlands, which currently follows a standard prescription throughout the UK. It is suggested that management regimes should be tailored to suit the conditions prevailing at individual sites as regeneration dynamics may be extremely variable.

show abstract

“…Soil disturbance by rotavation or ploughing has similar advantages and disadvantages but with generally lower efficacy. A Dutch experiment showed such treatments to be ineffective at returning degraded grass-dominated heath to dwarf-shrub domination although overall productivity was reduced (Diemont and Linthorst Homan, 1989;Diemont, 1994). As many species of high conservation value are likely to have few local sources of propagules and may have limited dispersal ability, direct planting combined with weed control may be required to avoid dominance by common ruderal species.…”

Section: Impacts On Habitat Suitabilitymentioning

confidence: 95%

“…As a large proportion of deposited N is retained in vegetation and in the upper layers of organo-mineral soils, it is clear that sod cutting is a very effective means to remove N from the system and may reduce N mineralisation rates and plant productivity for considerable periods of time (Berendse, 1990;Diemont, 1994;Heil and Bobbink, 1993) (see Tables 1 and 2). In one lowland heath the nutrient removal by sod cutting was equivalent to roughly 176 years of atmospheric deposition (Härdtle et al, 2006) which is likely to be much greater than removal by less-intensive management options (Härdtle et al, 2006.…”

Section: Impacts On N Removal and N Cyclingmentioning

confidence: 98%

Can on-site management mitigate nitrogen deposition impacts in non-wooded habitats?

Jones

Rowe

Payne

et al. 2017

Biological Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nitrogen (N) deposition is a major cause of plant biodiversity loss, with serious implications for appropriate management of protected sites. Reducing N emissions is the only long-term solution. However, on-site management has the potential to mitigate some of the adverse effects of N deposition. In this paper we review how management activities such as grazing, cutting, burning, hydrological management and soil disturbance measures can mitigate the negative impacts of N across a range of temperate habitats (acid, calcareous and neutral grasslands, sand dunes and other coastal habitats, heathlands, bogs and fens). The review focuses mainly on European habitats, which have a long history of N deposition, and it excludes forested systems. For each management type we distinguish between actions that improve habitat suitability for plant species of conservation importance, and actions that immobilize N or remove it from the system. For grasslands and heathlands we collate data on the quantity of N removal by each management type. Our findings show that while most activities improve habitat suitability, the majority do little to slow or to reduce the amount of N accumulating in soil pools at current deposition rates. Only heavy cutting/mowing with removal in grasslands, high intensity burns in heathlands and sod cutting remove more N than comes in from deposition under typical management cycles. We conclude by discussing some of the unintended consequences of managing specifically for N impacts, which can include damage to non-target species, alteration of soil processes, loss of the seedbank and loss of soil carbon.

show abstract

Effects of removal of organic matter on the productivity of heathlands

Cited by 23 publications

References 20 publications

Heathland restoration in The Netherlands: Effects of turf cutting depth on germination of Arnica montana

Heathland restoration in The Netherlands: Effects of turf cutting depth on germination of Arnica montana

A comparison of regeneration dynamics following gap creation at two geographically contrasting heathland sites

Can on-site management mitigate nitrogen deposition impacts in non-wooded habitats?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About