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Context-Dependency of Agricultural Legacies in Temperate Forest Soils

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Abstract

Anthropogenic activities have affected forests for centuries, leading to persistent legacies. Observations of agricultural legacies on forest soil properties have been site specific and contrasting. Sites and regions vary along gradients in intrinsic soil characteristics, phosphorus (P) management and nitrogen (N) deposition which could affect the magnitude of soil property responses to past cultivation. A single investigation along these gradients could reconcile contradictions and elucidate context-dependency in agricultural legacies. We analysed soil from 24 paired post-agricultural (established after approx. 1950) and ancient (in existence before 1850) forests in eight European regions. Post-agricultural forest soil had higher pH, higher P-concentration and lower carbon (C) to N ratio compared to ancient forest. Importantly, gradients of soil characteristics, regional P surplus and N deposition affected the magnitude of these legacies. First, we found that three soil groups, characterising inherent soil fertility, determined extractable base cations, pH and concentrations of total N, organic C and total P. Second, regions with greater current P surplus from agriculture correlated with the highest P legacy in post-agricultural forests. Finally, we found that N deposition lowered pH across forests and increased total N and organic C concentrations in post-agricultural forest. These results suggest that (1) legacies from cultivation consistently determine soil properties in post-agricultural forest and (2) these legacies depend on regional and environmental context, including soil characteristics, regional P surplus and N deposition. Identifying gradients that influence the magnitude of agricultural legacies is key to informing how, where and why forest ecosystems respond to contemporary environmental change.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the European Research Council for funding this research through the PASTFORWARD project [ERC Consolidator Grant 614839, attributed to KV]. We thank the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) for supporting DL and for funding the scientific research network FLEUR (http://www.fleur.ugent.be) as this network proved to be a helpful platform for finding study regions. Many colleagues from the Forest & Nature Lab provided valuable input in completion of this work. Robbe De Beelde, Filip Ceunen and Kris Ceunen helped considerably in the soil collection campaign. Luc Willems and Greet de Bruyn performed soil chemical analyses. Stephanie Schelfhout and An De Schrijver provided references for soil chemical analyses and P-related literature. We thank Gerrit Genouw from the Research Institute Nature and Forest (INBO) for arranging soil texture analyses. Multiple persons helped in relocating forest patch locations or reconstructing their history and granting access. Our gratitude goes out to Pieter De Becker, Peter Van de Kerckhove, Kris Vandekerkhove, Marc Esprit, Hilaire Martin, Frédéric Archaux, Emilie Gallet-Moron, Henri de Witasse de Thézy, Thierry Kervin and Mme. Laudelot.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Environment, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Campus Gontrode, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium

    Haben Blondeel, Michael P. Perring, Leen Depauw, Dries Landuyt, Sybryn L. Maes, Margot Vanhellemont & Kris Verheyen

  2. Ecosystem Restoration and Intervention Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Michael P. Perring

  3. Irstea, UR EMGR, UR LESSEM, Université Grenoble Alpes, 2 rue de la Papeterie BP 76, 38402, St-Martin-d’Hères, France

    Laurent Bergès

  4. Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 49, 230 53, Alnarp, Sweden

    Jörg Brunet

  5. Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (EDYSAN, UMR 7058 CNRS), Jules Verne University of Picardie, 1 rue des Louvels, 80037, Amiens Cedex 1, France

    Guillaume Decocq

  6. Vegetation Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology, FB 2, University of Bremen, Leobener Str. 5, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Martin Diekmann

  7. Institute of Ecology and Earth Science, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia

    Jaan Liira

  8. ZALF, Research Area 2, Eberswalder Straße 84, 15374, Müncheberg, Germany

    Monika Wulf

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  1. Haben Blondeel
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  2. Michael P. Perring
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  3. Laurent Bergès
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  13. Kris Verheyen
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Correspondence to Haben Blondeel.

Additional information

Author Contributions HB, MPP and KV conceived and designed the study with significant contributions from DL, SM and LD. HB, LB, JB, GD, MD, JL and MW assessed historical land-use information by investigating sources on historical maps of the focal regions. HB, MPP, JB, GD and JL participated in soil collection in the field. HB, with input from MPP, DL and KV performed subsequent statistical analyses on the data. HB wrote the first draft of the paper. Suggestions were made by KV, MPP, DL and MV, and all authors provided revisions and comments.

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Blondeel, H., Perring, M.P., Bergès, L. et al. Context-Dependency of Agricultural Legacies in Temperate Forest Soils. Ecosystems 22, 781–795 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-018-0302-9

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