Shifts in N and P Budgets of Heathland Ecosystems: Effects of Management and Atmospheric Inputs

Oheimb, Goddert von; Gerke, Anna-Katharina; Niemeyer, Marion; Niemeyer, Thomas; Aßmann, Thorsten; Drees, Claudia; Matern, Andrea; Meyer, Hartmut

doi:10.1007/s10021-008-9223-3

Cited by 35 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This is broadly equivalent to that removed by cutting with biomass removal (2-13 years of N deposition). Härdtle et al (2009) show that on a 10 year cycle, both burning and mowing still result in a net accumulation of~10 kg N ha −1 yr −1 . By contrast, high intensity burns equivalent to wildfires remove much more N, equivalent to 47 years of N deposition.…”

Section: Data Synthesis Of Management Impacts On N Budgets In Grasslamentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In an upland heath in north Wales, UK, Pilkington et al (2007) found that burning removed a large proportion of accumulated N from the vegetation and litter but did not lead to any short term reduction in N stores in the soil. In Germany, burning removed N pools in the vegetation, but returned 5.2 kg ha − 1 as ash (Härdtle et al, 2009). Beyond the instantaneous removal of N to the atmosphere burning may also enhance N leaching for several years subsequently Pilkington et al, 2007).…”

Section: Impacts On N Removal and N Cyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By contrast, high intensity burns equivalent to wildfires remove much more N, equivalent to 47 years of N deposition. The more extreme management options of sod cutting remove up to 10 times as much N as low intensity burns or cutting, equivalent to 61-90 years of N deposition, which can remove significant quantities of N when applied on a 15 or 30-year cycle (Härdtle et al, 2006(Härdtle et al, , 2009. Grazing is occasionally used to manage heathlands, and if applied as sheep folding, can remove up to 8.2 kg N ha −1 yr −1 (data calculated from Fottner et al, 2007), but this still leaves a net accumulation of 12.4 kg N ha −1 yr −1 .…”

Section: Data Synthesis Of Management Impacts On N Budgets In Grasslamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

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

Section: Data Synthesis Of Management Impacts On N Budgets In Grasslamentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Impacts On N Removal and N Cyclingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Synthesis Of Management Impacts On N Budgets In Grasslamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

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

show abstract

“…In fertilisation experiments of Aerts and Heil (1993) Calluna vulgaris was the superior competitor in different nutrient treatments, even at input rates of 200 kg N ha -1 year -1 . However, the competitive superiority of Calluna vulgaris in this experiment is not in agreement with the experimental results of Heil and Bruggink (1987), nor can it explain the large-scale replacement of Calluna vulgaris by Molinia caerulea observed in many dry lowland heaths of NW Europe during the last decade (Härdtle et al 2009). Aerts and Heil (1993) contend that encroachment of Molinia caerulea in dry heaths is probably also triggered by stress and disturbance factors, such as senescence, frost, drought, or heather beetle attacks, which weaken the competitive power of Calluna vulgaris.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Molinia caerulea responses to N and P fertilisation in a dry heathland ecosystem (NW-Germany)

et al. 2010

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the present study we analysed whether airborne N pollution may constitute one important driver for the encroachment of Molinia caerulea in dry heathland ecosystems. Based on full-factorial field experiments (in 2006 and 2008) and complementary greenhouse experiments (in 2008), we quantified growth responses of Molinia caerulea to N and P fertilisation (50 kg N ha -1 year -1 , 20 kg P ha -1 year -1 ). Aboveground biomass production of Molinia caerulea was limited by P in 2006, but by N in both experiments in 2008. In the greenhouse experiment, N addition caused a sixfold increase of the biomass of vegetative tillers, and in all experiments the biomass and numbers of flowering tillers showed a significant increase due to fertilisation. Our experiments indicated that growth of Molinia caerulea was primarily limited by N, but in dry heaths the kind of nutrient limitation may be mediated by other factors such as water availability during the vegetative period. Shifts in biomass allocation patterns resulting from N fertilisation showed that Molinia caerulea encroachment in dry heaths is not only attributable to increased leaf biomass, but also due to higher investments in reproductive tissue that allow for increased seed production and thus accelerated encroachment of seedlings in places where the dwarf shrub canopy has been opened after disturbance.

show abstract

“…), as it has an important role in heathland ecosystems (Härdtle et al. ) and bioavailable P has been identified as an important determinant of invasion of woody species in heathlands (Manning et al. ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indirect effects of land‐use legacies determine tree colonization patterns in abandoned heathland

Kepfer‐Rojas

Verheyen

Johannsen

et al. 2015

Applied Vegetation Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Questions: How do land-use legacies and distance to forest patches influence tree colonization at a post-agricultural heathland? Are colonizing species with different life-history traits affected differently by these factors? Is the effect of increased nutrient availability from land-use legacies mediated by the understorey vegetation? Location: NOrholm hede, a 350-ha heathland in southwest Denmark developing naturally after abandonment of traditional agricultural practices in 1895. Methods: Using 140 plots (0.03ha), we quantified the vegetation structure, soil properties and natural recruitment of tree/shrubs in the heathland. Further, we used high-resolution LiDAR data to classify the vegetation and identify forest patches. In the analysis, we first used a logistic mixed model to test whether colonization of tree and shrub species differed between areas with different land-use history and whether it was influenced by the distance to forest patches and life-history traits (seed mass) of colonizing species. Then, to determine how different factors influence colonization, we explored the direct and indirect relationships among nutrient availability, density of adult trees, canopy cover, cover of Deschampsia flexuosa and the probability of seedling colonization in each plot using a confirmatory multilevel path analysis. Results: The probability of seedling colonization for small- and large-seeded species decreased with distance to forest patches. This response was more pronounced at the previously cultivated area. Multilevel path analysis showed that colonizing species with different life-history traits were affected by different factors. Small-seeded species were negatively affected by increased nutrient availability mediated by an increase in the cover of D.flexuosa. This effect was not found for large-seeded species. Moreover, the density of trees/shrubs (>2m) increased the probability of colonization of small-seeded species, whereas higher canopy cover had a positive effect on large-seeded species. Conclusions: Our analyses demonstrate that the interactions between abiotic factors, biotic interactions and life-history traits of colonizing species can lead to distinct patterns of tree colonization. Land-use legacies can have long-lasting, indirect effects on tree colonization by altering the composition of the understorey vegetation, which in turn can delay tree encroachment and slow down the succession from heathland to forest

show abstract

Shifts in N and P Budgets of Heathland Ecosystems: Effects of Management and Atmospheric Inputs

Cited by 35 publications

References 42 publications

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

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

Molinia caerulea responses to N and P fertilisation in a dry heathland ecosystem (NW-Germany)

Indirect effects of land‐use legacies determine tree colonization patterns in abandoned heathland

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About