Vegetation Change in Peatland Buffers as an Indicator of Active Areas of Run-On from Forestry

Our aim in this study was to evaluate whether coverage change in the vegetation of a forestry buffer wetland can be used to reveal a possible increase in nutrients. To achieve this, we followed changes in vegetation on two peatland buffers, and biomass with nitrogen content in one of them. Nutrient...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annales botanici fennici 2010, Vol.47 (6), p.425-438
Main Authors: Saari, Päivi, Saari, Veli, Luotonen, Hannu, Alm, Jukka
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
above-ground biomass
Biomass
buffer zone
detrended correspondence analysis
Floods
Meadows
Mosses
nitrogen content
Peat
peatland forestry
Peatlands
Plants
Sphagnum
Swamps
tree stand
Vegetation
vegetation change
Water tables
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Summary:Our aim in this study was to evaluate whether coverage change in the vegetation of a forestry buffer wetland can be used to reveal a possible increase in nutrients. To achieve this, we followed changes in vegetation on two peatland buffers, and biomass with nitrogen content in one of them. Nutrient concentrations were periodically lower in the water inflow than in the outflow. Flooding caused a species change in favor of flood-tolerant grasses and Sphagna, but this species composition did not indicate a higher trophic level. Nitrogen content in the reference site's original surface peat layer, which was rich in woody remains, was higher than that of the newly formed, more acidic Sphagnum peat of the spruce swamp buffer. Changes in biomass did not indicate an increased nutrient-binding capacity of the spruce swamp buffer vegetation. On the other hand, the changes in species cover outlined the area of effective water flow paths within the buffer and suggested that severe eutrophication of peatland forestry buffers does not seem likely.
ISSN:0003-3847
1797-2442
DOI:10.5735/085.047.0602