The role of Calamagrostis communities in preventing soil acidification and base cation losses in a deforested mountain area affected by acid deposition

Abstract

The effects of grass growth and N deposition on the leaching of nutrients from forest soil were studied in a lysimeter experiment performed in the Moravian-Silesian Beskydy Mts. (the Czech Republic). It was assumed that the grass sward formed on sites deforested due to forest decline would improve the soil environment. Lysimeters with growing acidophilous grasses (Calamagrostis arundinacea and C. villosa), common on clear-cut areas, and with unplanted bare forest soil were installed in the deforested area affected by air pollution. Wet bulk deposition of sulphur in SO 2− 4 corresponded to 21.6-40.1 kg ha −1 and nitrogen in NH + 4 and NO − 3 to 8.9-17.4 kg N ha −1 , with a rain water pH of 4.39-4.59 and conductivity of 18.6-36.4 µS cm −1 during the growing seasons 1997-1999. In addition, the lysimeters were treated with 50 kg N ha −1 yr −1 as ammonium nitrate during the 3 years of the experiment. Rapid growth of planted grasses resulted in a very fast formation of both above-and below-ground biomass and a large accumulation of nitrogen in the tissue of growing grasses. The greatest differences in N accumulation in aboveground biomass were observed at the end of the third growing season; in C. villosa and C. arundinacea, respectively, 2.66 and 3.44 g N m −2 after addition of nitrogen and 1.34 and 2.39 g N m −2 in control. Greater amounts of nitrogen were assessed in below-ground plant parts (9.93-12.97 g N m −2 in C. villosa and 4.29-4.39 g N m −2 in C. arundinacea). During the second and third year of experiment, the following effects were the most pronounced: the presence of growing grasses resulted in a decrease of both the acidity and conductivity of lysimetric water and in a lower amount of leached nitrogen, especially of nitrates. Leaching of base cations (Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ ) was two to three times lower than from bare soil without grasses. An excess of labile Al 3+ was substantially eliminated in treatments with grasses. Enhanced N input increased significantly the acidity and losses of nutrients only in unplanted lysimeters. The leaching of N from treatments with grasses (3.9-5.6 kg N ha −1 ) was 31-46% of the amount of N in wet deposition. However, the amount of leached N (4.2-6.0 kg N ha −1 ) after N application was only 7.1-8.9% of total N input. After a short three year period, the features of soil with planted grasses indicated a slight improvement: higher pH values and Ca 2+ and Mg 2+

Quality of organic and upper mineral horizons of mature mountain beech stands with respect to herb layer species

“…Peřina and Květ (1975) reported an intensive withdrawal of all nutrients by the reed grass. The accumulation of nutrients in the reed grass biomass and the elimination of adverse processes connected with soil acidification by reed grass stands were confirmed also in open forests and on a clear-cut area (Fiala et al 2005;Mládková et al 2005). On the other hand, the statistical tests in our study showed no differences in the chemistry of top soil horizons between the reed grass and wavy hair grass variants.…”

Decomposition rate and nutrient release from plant litter of Norway spruce forest in the Bohemian Forest

“…5). Fiala et al (2005) observed, that Calamagrostis villosa efficiently accumulates N in the biomass and can in this way reduce N losses from ecosystem during the growth season. Our results further suggest that dead grass leaves release the accumulated N in the form of DIN, mainly NH 4 into the soil in the early stage of decomposition and can temporarily increase NH 4 flux into the soil in autumn and winter period.…”

Biomass and element pools of understory vegetation in the catchments of Čertovo Lake and Plešné Lake in the Bohemian Forest

“…Sward grass vegetation can also decrease soil acidity and the loss of base cations (Fiala et al, 2005). This suggests that some species of understory vegetation can partly eliminate negative processes associated with soil acidification and positively affect the reduction of nutrient losses from the soil (Fiala et al, 2005). Contradictory results were found by Šantrůčková et al (2006), showing that vegetation cover of Calamagrostis villosa possibly contributed to high N flux from the litter in the spruce forest of the Bohemian Forest.…”

“…It has been shown that grass understory vegetation can serve as an important sink of atmospheric nitrogen (Holub, 1999). Sward grass vegetation can also decrease soil acidity and the loss of base cations (Fiala et al, 2005). This suggests that some species of understory vegetation can partly eliminate negative processes associated with soil acidification and positively affect the reduction of nutrient losses from the soil (Fiala et al, 2005).…”