Correspondence of vegetation boundaries to redox barriers in a Northern European moraine plain |
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| Authors: | Jaan Pärn Kalle Remm Ülo Mander |
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| Institution: | 1. Dept. of Ecological Modeling, University of Bayreuth, Dr. Hans-Frisch-Straße 1-3, D-95448 Bayreuth, Germany;2. Dept. of Hydrology, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany;3. Dept. of Soil Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Dr. Hans-Frisch-Straße 1-3, D-95448 Bayreuth, Germany;4. Institute of Landscape Hydrology, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Eberswalder Straße 84, D-15374 Müncheberg, Germany;1. University of Ottawa, Department of Earth Sciences, Marion Hall, 140 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5;2. University of Ottawa, Department of Physics, MacDonald Hall, 150 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5;1. Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA;2. USDA ARS, Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico State University, P.O. Box 30003, MSC 3JER, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003, USA;1. Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Hydrobiology, Na Sádkách 7, 37005, ?eské Budějovice, Czech Republic;2. Coordination Centre for Effects, RIVM, P.O. Box 1, NL-3720 BA, Bilthoven, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Little attention has been devoted to the investigation of the formation and functioning of ecotones at the interfaces between the upland and riparian zones. The margins of riparian mires act as redox geochemical barriers. Such biogeochemical hot spots retain elements that have leached from upland soils, favouring the growth of mesomorphic plants in hydromorphic soils. This paper aims to clarify the correspondence of vegetation borders to horizontal redox barriers of a Northern European moraine plain in Estonia.24 random transects were surveyed on the moraine plain, sampled across sharp soil moisture boundaries as proxies of redox barriers. The shifts in vegetation perpendicular to the boundaries were investigated. Curves of Euclidean distance were computed by moving a 20 m split-window along transects. The curves showed peaks of high dissimilarity a few metres below the redox barriers in the sites of natural soil moisture. In artificially drained sites, the relict redox barriers poorly corresponded to the vegetation borders. We conclude that in the studied moraine plain, the vegetation boundaries between riparian mires and uplands correspond to the redox barriers. The same can be set as a hypothesis for Northern European moraine plains. Related ecotones can be observed on the footslopes, revealing redox barrier in the landscape and related hot spots in cultural landscapes. In field margins, the redox barriers and corresponding ecotones occur below cultivation terraces. The ecotones may represent functional boundaries for delineating wetlands. Man-made drainage removes soil redox barriers and corresponding vegetation boundaries, making the landscape uniform and therefore vulnerable to disturbances. As a management implication, footslope ecotones should be preserved in their natural condition. |
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