TY - JOUR

T1 - Restoration of oak forest: effects of former arable land use on soil chemistry and herb layer vegetation

AU - Valtinat, Karin

AU - Bruun, Hans Henrik

AU - Brunet, Jörg

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - incubation, showed a strong seasonal pattern with peak values in spring. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination revealed marked compositional differences in the vegetation between the two land-use categories, and also compositional turnover along gradients in soil pH and nitrogen availability. Differences in soil pH between land-use categories occurred in a range critical for the establishment of many typical forest herb layer species. Plant indicator species were identified for the two land-use categories. The results showed that acid-sensitive forest herbs may benefit from the higher pH soils in new woodlands, in contrast to ancient forest soils with little buffer capacity towards natural and anthropogenic acidification. In conclusion, former arable use has long-lasting effects on soil properties and vegetation composition in broadleaved forests. New woodlands on former fields can thus offer relatively persistent new habitats for acid-sensitive species that have suffered from reduction in habitat area during historic periods of deforestation and cultivation. Udgivelsesdato: 2008

AB - incubation, showed a strong seasonal pattern with peak values in spring. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination revealed marked compositional differences in the vegetation between the two land-use categories, and also compositional turnover along gradients in soil pH and nitrogen availability. Differences in soil pH between land-use categories occurred in a range critical for the establishment of many typical forest herb layer species. Plant indicator species were identified for the two land-use categories. The results showed that acid-sensitive forest herbs may benefit from the higher pH soils in new woodlands, in contrast to ancient forest soils with little buffer capacity towards natural and anthropogenic acidification. In conclusion, former arable use has long-lasting effects on soil properties and vegetation composition in broadleaved forests. New woodlands on former fields can thus offer relatively persistent new habitats for acid-sensitive species that have suffered from reduction in habitat area during historic periods of deforestation and cultivation. Udgivelsesdato: 2008

U2 - 10.1080/02827580802545572

DO - 10.1080/02827580802545572

M3 - Journal article

VL - 23

SP - 513

EP - 521

JO - Scand.J.For.Res.

JF - Scand.J.For.Res.

IS - 6

ER -