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Soil chemistry of local vegetation gradients in sandy calcareous grasslands

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Abstract

Acidification and N-deposition are continuous processes that alter the composition of plant communities. We investigated vegetation transitions in sandy grasslands and tested two hypotheses: (1) a shift from vegetation dominated by Koeleria glauca to one dominated by Corynephorus canescens is due to acidification and (2) a shift from vegetation dominated by K. glauca to one dominated by Arrhenatherum elatius is due to increased mineral-N. The occurrence of K. glauca and C. canescens followed pH shifts strikingly well. However, the pH varied considerably between sites, and we found that differences in preference for bare sand may be important for the coexistence of these two species at both high and low pH. In 75% of the gradients, the dominance of A. elatius was related to high content of mineral-N. Most species preferred lime-rich soils and we concluded that both N-enrichment and acidification may lead to loss of species in calcareous sandy grasslands.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support from Region Skåne, The Swedish Research Council, The Swedish Research Council for the Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS) and the Oskar and Lilli Lamm Memorial Foundation is gratefully acknowledged. We also wish to thank Hans Henrik Bruun for statistical advice and for comments on the manuscript.

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  1. Section of Plant Ecology and Systematics, Department of Ecology, Lund University, 223 62, Lund, Sweden

    Linda-Maria Mårtensson & Pål Axel Olsson

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  1. Linda-Maria Mårtensson
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  2. Pål Axel Olsson
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Correspondence to Linda-Maria Mårtensson.

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Mårtensson, LM., Olsson, P.A. Soil chemistry of local vegetation gradients in sandy calcareous grasslands. Plant Ecol 206, 127–138 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-009-9629-9

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