Implications of soil substrate and land use for properties of fen soils in North-East Germany Part I: Basic soil conditions, chemical and biological properties of topsoils

Mueller, Lothar; Wirth, Stephan; Schulz, Elke; Behrendt, Axel; Hoehn, Axel; Schindler, Uwe

doi:10.1080/03650340701224823

Cited by 18 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The HWC concentrations in murshes and colluvium were lower than in the peats, which is typical for degraded layers of peatlands [9]. The values of HWC in peats were similar to the values reported by Kalisz et al (2010) in peats and murshes or Mueller et al (2007), but the values were lower than the values reported by Heller and Zeitz (2012). The labile OC fraction is more sensitive to disturbance than TOC [43]; therefore, processes other than drainage may result in the differences in HWC amounts.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…The HWN concentrations were also higher in peats than in murshes and colluvium but were lower than the concentrations reported by Heller and Zeitz (2012) in German drained peatlands. The HWN concentrations may vary widely, depending on the degree of peat decomposition, soil use and management practice [8,14,[46][47][48][49][50][51], suggesting that labile nitrogen release may be promoted when inorganic nitrogen is added to soil [9]. In the current study, no nitrogen fertilization occurred; therefore, the nitrogen release can be restricted to natural processes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

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Effect of Peatland Siltation on Total and Labile C, N, P and K

et al. 2021

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Large areas of peatlands, in addition to the effect of drainage, were subjected to erosional process and were silted. The objective of the study was to verify whether siltation of peatlands hampers mineralization of remaining peat and alters labile C, N, P and K. Total C and N were measured on a CN analyzer, and total P and K on an ICP spectrometer after microwave digestion. The labile fractions of C, N, P and K were extracted with hot water and measured on the CN analyzer and ICP spectrometer. We noted that labile C, N, P and K concentrations in silted topsoil were lower than the values reported in unsilted topsoil. Higher concentration of labile compounds in peats is a signal of higher biological activity and mineralization of organic matter. A TOC/TP < 300 and TOC/TN of approximately 8 in topsoil suggested diminished mineralization and supported our hypothesis that siltation hampered mineralization of organic matter. The TOC/TK ratio proved to be a fine indicator of the state of organic soils siltation, which enabled the separation of unsilted peats from silted topsoil (on the base of value of 177). It can be assumed that the mineralization of peat layers is hampered by the above lying silted topsoil, which is less biologically active, having less oxygen, and therefore conserving underlying peats against oxidation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Effect of Peatland Siltation on Total and Labile C, N, P and K

et al. 2021

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“…Considering the above processes, it is not surprising that some sites of the peatland areas that we studied were too dry while others tended to reswamp. Following drainage, the bulk density in the studied peatland layers decreased with depth, which is typical for drained fen soils (Mueller et al, 2007;Heller and Zeitz, 2012). Moorsh-forming processes occurring in the drained peat soils initiated the process of decalcification, which involves the leaching of base cations (mainly calcium and magnesium), manifested by acidification and lowering of pH values.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of peat drainage on labile organic carbon and water repellency in NE Poland

Kalisz¹,

Łachacz²,

Głażewski³

2015

Turk J Agric For

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Hot and cold water-extractable organic carbon (HWC and CWC, respectively) fractions, as good indicators of organic matter quality, as well as water repellency (WDPT test) and state of secondary humification were analyzed in topsoil samples of peatland drained for agricultural purposes 160 years ago. The examined sites (drained and used as grassland) at the peatland had been affected by the moorsh-forming process. During this process, intense mineralization and secondary humification of organic matter took place. The state of transformation of organic soils varied from weak to complete degradation. The HWC contents ranged between 2.623 and 3.572 g kg -1 in field-moist samples and 3.999 and 6.074 g kg -1 in air-dried soil samples. The CWC contents were generally lower than HWC and ranged between 0.411 and 0.535 g kg -1 in field-moist samples and 0.696 and 0.939 g kg -1 in air-dried soil samples. The examined soils were extremely water repellent when dried. The measures of transformation of peat after drainage and WDPT were not significantly correlated, but a tendency for higher values of water repellency at the site regarded as degraded was noted. Deep drainage caused an increase of HWC fraction, which in light of the moorsh-forming process should be regarded as negative. The topsoil of the peatland became dry and resistant to rewetting. However, when the ground water level is maintained at not deeper than 0.50 m, the changes in peat matter do not lead to degradation. HWC is a good measure to show differences occurring within the ecosystem. Given its correlation with state of transformation (W1 index) and water repellency (WDPT test), HWC is a good measurement of peat quality. HWC and WDPT measurements may be helpful in determining degradation of peat soil after drainage.

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“…These individual soil types are typically found at similar relative elevations within an increasingly undulating landscape, and the groundwater level (GWL) is often subject to considerable short-term fluctuations. As a result of the tight coupling between soil types and elevation, mean GWL may differ considerably between individual soil types (Aich et al, 2013;Heller and Zeitz, 2012;Dawson et al, 2010;Teh et al, 2011;Dexler et al, 2009;Müller et al, 2007;Schindler et al, 2003). These sites are typically used as grassland or cropland (Joosten and Clark, 2002;Byrne et al, 2004).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic C and N stocks – key factors controlling the C gas exchange of maize in heterogenous peatland

et al. 2015

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Abstract. The drainage and cultivation of fen peatlands create complex small-scale mosaics of soils with extremely variable soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and groundwater levels (GWLs). To date, the significance of such sites as sources or sinks for greenhouse gases such as CO2 and CH4 is still unclear, especially if the sites are used for cropland. As individual control factors such as GWL fail to account for this complexity, holistic approaches combining gas fluxes with the underlying processes are required to understand the carbon (C) gas exchange of drained fens. It can be assumed that the stocks of SOC and N located above the variable GWL – defined as dynamic C and N stocks – play a key role in the regulation of the plant- and microbially mediated CO2 fluxes in these soils and, inversely, for CH4. To test this assumption, the present study analysed the C gas exchange (gross primary production – GPP; ecosystem respiration – Reco; net ecosystem exchange – NEE; CH4) of maize using manual chambers for 4 years. The study sites were located near Paulinenaue, Germany, where we selected three soil types representing the full gradient of GWL and SOC stocks (0–1 m) of the landscape: (a) Haplic Arenosol (AR; 8 kg C m−2); (b) Mollic Gleysol (GL; 38 kg C m−2); and (c) Hemic Histosol (HS; 87 kg C m−2). Daily GWL data were used to calculate dynamic SOC (SOCdyn) and N (Ndyn) stocks. Average annual NEE differed considerably among sites, ranging from 47 ± 30 g C m−2 yr−1 in AR to −305 ± 123 g C m−2 yr−1 in GL and −127 ± 212 g C m−2 yr−1 in HS. While static SOC and N stocks showed no significant effect on C fluxes, SOCdyn and Ndyn and their interaction with GWL strongly influenced the C gas exchange, particularly NEE and the GPP : Reco ratio. Moreover, based on nonlinear regression analysis, 86% of NEE variability was explained by GWL and SOCdyn. The observed high relevance of dynamic SOC and N stocks in the aerobic zone for plant and soil gas exchange likely originates from the effects of GWL-dependent N availability on C formation and transformation processes in the plant–soil system, which promote CO2 input via GPP more than CO2 emission via Reco. The process-oriented approach of dynamic C and N stocks is a promising, potentially generalisable method for system-oriented investigations of the C gas exchange of groundwater-influenced soils and could be expanded to other nutrients and soil characteristics. However, in order to assess the climate impact of arable sites on drained peatlands, it is always necessary to consider the entire range of groundwater-influenced mineral and organic soils and their respective areal extent within the soil landscape.

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Implications of soil substrate and land use for properties of fen soils in North-East Germany Part I: Basic soil conditions, chemical and biological properties of topsoils

Cited by 18 publications

References 18 publications

Effect of Peatland Siltation on Total and Labile C, N, P and K

Effect of Peatland Siltation on Total and Labile C, N, P and K

Effects of peat drainage on labile organic carbon and water repellency in NE Poland

Dynamic C and N stocks – key factors controlling the C gas exchange of maize in heterogenous peatland

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