Premium
Differential recovery of above‐ and below‐ground rich fen vegetation following fertilization
Author(s) -
ElKahloun Mohssine,
Boeye Dirk,
Haesebroeck Véronique,
Verhagen Bart
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of vegetation science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1654-1103
pISSN - 1100-9233
DOI - 10.1111/j.1654-1103.2003.tb02171.x
Subject(s) - biomass (ecology) , vegetation (pathology) , human fertilization , phosphorus , agronomy , competition (biology) , fertilizer , wetland , environmental science , biology , zoology , ecology , chemistry , pathology , medicine , organic chemistry
. For seven years we studied the recovery of vegetation in a Belgian P limited rich fen ( Caricion davallianae ), which had been fertilized with nitrogen (200 g.m −2 ) and phosphorus (50 g.m −2 ) in 1992. The vegetation in this fen has low above‐ground biomass production (< 100 g m −2 ) due to the strong P limitation. Above‐ground biomass was harvested from 1992 to 1998 and P and N concentrations measured. In 1998, below‐ground biomass was also harvested. The response to fertilization differed markedly between below‐ and above‐ground compartments. Above‐ground, P was the single most important factor that continued to stimulate growth 7 yr after fertilization. Below‐ground, N tended to decrease live root biomass and increase dead root biomass and seemed to have a toxic effect on the roots. In the combined NP treatment the stimulating effect of P (an increase of live root biomass) was countered by N. The 1998 soil analysis showed no difference in soil P in the plots. Thus, Fe hydroxides are not capable of retaining P in competition with fen vegetation uptake. However, higher capture of P in root Fe coatings from N plots may partially explain this negative N effect. The results suggest that N root toxicity will be amplified in strongly P limited habitats but that its persistence will be less influenced by P availability. This mechanism may be a competitive advantage for N 2 fixing species that grow in strongly P limited wetlands.