Former land use affects the nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and biomass of forest herbs |
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Authors: | Lander Baeten Gorik Verstraeten Pieter De Frenne Margot Vanhellemont Karen Wuyts Martin Hermy Kris Verheyen |
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Institution: | (1) Laboratory of Forestry, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090 Gontrode (Melle), Belgium;(2) Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Division of Forest, Nature and Landscape, K.U.Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Leuven, Belgium |
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Abstract: | The colonization rates of understorey plants into forests growing on former agricultural land differ remarkably among species.
Different dispersal and recruitment largely account for the contrasting colonization rates, but different effects of the soil
legacies of former agricultural land use on plant performance may also play a role. Seven herbaceous forest species were sampled
in paired post-agricultural and ancient forest stands to study whether land-use history has an effect on the aboveground nutrient
concentrations (N, P and N:P ratios) and biomass of forest herbs and, if so, whether slow and fast colonizing species respond
differently. Results showed that P concentrations were significantly affected by former land use with higher concentrations
in the post-agricultural stands. N concentrations were unaffected and N:P ratios were significantly higher in the ancient
stands. Nutrient concentrations varied considerably among species, but the variation was unrelated to their colonization capacity.
Six out of the seven species had higher biomass in the post-agricultural stands relative to the ancient stands, and the degree
to which the species increased biomass was positively related to their colonization capacity, i.e., the fast colonizing species
showed the strongest increase. Such differential responses to past land use may contribute to the contrasting colonization
capacity of forest plants. Land-use history thus affected both the nutrient concentrations and biomass of forest herbs, and
only the biomass response was related to colonization capacity. |
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