Soil properties of drained and rewetted fen soils

Zeitz, Jutta; Velty, Silke

doi:10.1002/1522-2624(200210)165:5<618::aid-jpln618>3.0.co;2-w

Cited by 62 publications

(44 citation statements)

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“…This gradient develops over time because of increasing drainage intensity (large-scale, chronic disturbance), leading to shifts in abiotic conditions through physical and chemical changes in the peat body (Okruszko et al 1999;Zeitz and Velty 2002;Okruszko and Ilnicki 2003). The endpoint of this process is the formation of a substrate with little capillary water rise and almost no water storage capacity (Okruszko 1957;Kajak and Okruszko 1990), leading to water shortage in the rooting zone during the dry season.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Species trait shifts in vegetation and soil seed bank during fen degradation

et al. 2009

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Fens in Central Europe are characterised by waterlogged organic substrate and low productivity. Human-induced changes due to drainage and mowing lead to changes in plant species composition from natural fen communities to fen meadows and later to over-drained, degraded meadows. Moderate drainage leads to increased vegetation productivity, and severe drainage results in frequent soil disturbances and less plant growth. In the present article, we analyse changes in plant trait combinations in the vegetation and the soil seed bank as well as changes in the seed bank types along gradient of drainage intensity. We hypothesize that an increase in productivity enhances traits related to persistence and that frequent disturbance selects for regeneration traits. We use multivariate statistics to analyse data from three disturbance levels: undisturbed fen, slightly drained fen meadow and severely drained degraded meadow. We found that the abundance of plants regenerating from seeds and accumulating persistent seed banks was increasing with degradation level, while plants reproducing vegetatively were gradually eliminated along the same trajectory. Plants with strong resprouting abilities increased during degradation. We also found that shifts in trait combinations were similar in the aboveground vegetation and in soil seed banks. We found that the density of short-term persistent seeds in the soil is highest in fen meadows and the density of long-term persistent seeds is highest in degraded meadows. The increase in abundance of species with strong regeneration traits at the cost of species with persistencerelated traits has negative consequences for the restoration prospects of severely degraded sites.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Species trait shifts in vegetation and soil seed bank during fen degradation

et al. 2009

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“…In contrast, high nitrate concentrations in the porewater of drained peatlands are caused by the aeration of the peat and subsequent mineralisation and nitrification of organic nitrogen (Holden et al, 2004;Olde Venterink et al, 2002;Sapek et al, 2007). These processes will be particularly intensive in the case of low groundwater levels (Hacin et al, 2011;Martin et al, 1997) and of high amplitudes of the groundwater level fluctuations, which are typical of degraded peatlands due to the altered hydraulic properties of the peat (Zeitz and Velty, 2002). Nitrogen supply by fertilisation or atmospheric deposition can enhance mineralisation (Ross et al, 1995;Verhoeven et al, 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…Nowadays, the majority of the peatlands in Germany are used as grassland (UBA, 2012). Lowering the groundwater table by drainage leads to deleterious effects such as peat degradation (Zeitz and Velty, 2002); loss of biodiversity (Succow and Joosten, 2001); and high emissions of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (Höper, 2002;Limpens et al, 2008;UBA, 2012). Furthermore, the water-purifying function of lowland peatlands is lost as drainage frequently turns them from a nutrient sink into a nutrient source (Holden et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) losses from an artificially drained grassland on organic soils

Tiemeyer¹,

Kahle

2014

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. -N) as well as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) concentrations and losses were studied for three and two years, respectively, in a small catchment dominated by a degraded peatland used as intensive grassland. Concentrations in the shallow groundwater were spatially and temporally very variable, with NO 3 -N being the most dynamic component . Ditch DOC concentration were lower than the groundwater DOC concentration of 50.6 ± 15.2 mg L −1 (14.9 to 88.5 mg L −1 ). Both DOC and N concentrations were governed by hydrological conditions, but NO 3 -N reacted much faster and clearer on rising discharge rates than DOC, which tended to be higher under drier conditions. In the third year of the study, the superposition of a very wet summer and land use changes from grassland to arable land in a part of the catchment suggests that, under re-wetting conditions with a high groundwater table in summer, NO 3 -N would diminish quickly, while DOC would remain on a similar level. Further intensification of the land use, on the other hand, would increase N losses to receiving water bodies.

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“…At least on alkaline peat, a rewetting of the soils will reduce the availability of phosphorous and potassium (Koppisch et al 2001) and thus will counteract the observed nutrient enrichment. In Germany on formerly fertilised acidic peat an opposite effect of rewetting was observed: the availability of phosphorous increased (Rupp et al 2004;Zeitz and Velty 2002). But we think, that this situation will hardly occur in Switzerland: here the mire sites which are nature reserves used to be treated rather as waste land by the farmers and they were never fertilized.…”

Section: Conclusion For Nature Conservationmentioning

confidence: 87%

Veränderung der Schweizer Moorvegetation innerhalb von fünf Jahren

et al. 2010

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To assess whether short-term changes in mire vegetation can be detected using the phytosociological approach, paired vegetation relevés from two surveys of 112 mire sites of Switzerland were assigned to phytosociological alliances through a numerical approach. About 30% of the plots were assigned to different alliances in the two surveys. These transitions were analysed based on species frequencies and interpreted ecologically using Landolt's indicator values. Transitions between different alliances were more frequently related to the appearance of new species rather than to the disappearance of species. Transitions from and to peat bog communities were frequent. Many plots with fen vegetation were transformed into other wetland types. Fen-grassland increased in abundance, mainly at the cost of small-sedge fens. To reestablish the function of the Swiss mires as peat producers, we recommend to raise the mean summer water table to a maximum depth of 10 cm.

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Soil properties of drained and rewetted fen soils

Cited by 62 publications

References 0 publications

Species trait shifts in vegetation and soil seed bank during fen degradation

Species trait shifts in vegetation and soil seed bank during fen degradation

Nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) losses from an artificially drained grassland on organic soils

Veränderung der Schweizer Moorvegetation innerhalb von fünf Jahren

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