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Soil Solution Chemistry and Element Fluxes in Three European Heathlands and Their Responses to Warming and Drought

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Abstract

Soil water chemistry and element budgets were studied at three northwestern European Calluna vulgaris heathland sites in Denmark (DK), The Netherlands (NL), and Wales (UK). Responses to experimental nighttime warming and early summer drought were followed during a two-year period. Soil solution chemistry measured below the organic soil layer and below the rooting zone and water fluxes estimated with hydrological models were combined to calculate element budgets. Remarkably high N leaching was observed at the NL heath with 18 and 6.4 kg N ha−1 year−1 of NO3–N and NH4–N leached from the control plots, respectively, indicating that this site is nitrogen saturated. Increased soil temperature of +0.5°C in the heated plots almost doubled the concentrations and losses of NO3–N and DON at this site. Temperature also increased mobilization of N in the O horizon at the UK and DK heaths in the first year, but, because of high retention of N in the vegetation or mineral soil, there were no significant effects of warming on seepage water NO3–N and NH4–N. Retention of P was high at all three sites. In several cases, drought increased concentrations of elements momentarily, but element fluxes decreased because of a lower flux of water. Seepage water DOC and DON was highly significantly correlated at the UK site where losses of N were low, whereas losses of C and N were uncoupled at the NL site where atmospheric N input was greatest. Based on N budgets, calculations of the net change in the C sink or source strength in response to warming suggest no change or an increase in the C sink strength during these early years.

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Acknowledgments

The project was funded by EU under the projects CLIMOOR (contract No. ENV4-CT97-0694) and VULCAN (contract No. EVK2-CT-2000-00094), and further supported by the participating research institutes. We are much indebted to Mols Laboratory, DK, and to the Ministry of Defense in The Netherlands for hospitability and logistic support during fieldwork and to the technical staff at our institutes for their indispensable help with field sampling and laboratory analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Danish Forest and Landscape, Denmark, Royal, Veterinary and Agricultural University, Hoersholm Kongevej 11, DK-2970 Hoersholm, Denmark

    Inger K. Schmidt & Per Gundersen

  2. Center for Geo-ecological Research (ICG), Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED)–Physical Geography, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Albert Tietema

  3. Center for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH)–Bangor, Deiniol Rd., Bangor, Gwynedd PP57 2UP, United Kingdom

    Dylan Williams & Bridget A. Emmett

  4. Countryside Council for Wales, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DW, Wales, United Kingdom

    Dylan Williams

  5. RISØ National Laboratory, P.O. Box 49, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark

    Claus Beier

  6. Unitat Ecofisiologia CSIC–CEAB–CREAF, CREAF (Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications), Edifici C, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

    Marc Estiarte

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  1. Inger K. Schmidt
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  2. Albert Tietema
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Correspondence to Inger K. Schmidt.

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Schmidt, I., Tietema, A., Williams, D. et al. Soil Solution Chemistry and Element Fluxes in Three European Heathlands and Their Responses to Warming and Drought. Ecosystems 7, 638–649 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-004-0217-5

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