Browsing by Subject "Lowland hay meadows"

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Bedeutung der Stickstoffumsetzung und externer Stickstoffquellen für die Entwicklung von FFH-Mähwiesen in Baden-Württemberg
(2023) Kukowski, Sina Louise; Streck, Thilo
1. AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY. The condition of the species-rich lowland hay meadows (habitat type 6510) in Germany is increasingly deteriorating. One cause of the deterioration is the supply of reactive nitrogen (N). To counteract the ongoing deterioration, it is necessary to understand the relationships between external N inputs via the atmosphere and fertilization, internal N turnover in the soil, plant uptake and growth, as well as possible links to the conservation degree of this habitat type. The overall objective of this dissertation is therefore to contribute to a better process-based understanding of the complete N cycle of Fauna-Flora-Habitat (FFH) meadows. 2. MATERIAL & METHODS. The interdisciplinary structure of this thesis includes different approaches to study inputs, turnover and outputs of N. With respect to N input via the airborne pathway, the focus was primarily placed on the hitherto poorly studied relationships between ammonia concentration and specific N-sensitive species groups in FFH lowland hay meadows. These relations were analyzed by means of generalized mixed models (GLM) based on nationwide data. In addition, further site-specific factors with a significant influence on the conservation degree of FFH meadows were identified using GLM. For the quantification of soil-borne N turnover processes, an empirical approach was chosen, including the determination of gross N turnover rates using the 15N isotope dilution method. To record these N dynamics, an intensive monitoring of gross and net N fluxes (mineralization, nitrification, ammonium consumption, nitrate consumption) in soils from different primary substrate and with different meadow conservation degree was carried out in 2016 and 2017. The results were merged using a process-based agroecosystem model (EXPERT-N), which was adjusted for habitat type 6510 to the collected data. The adapted model was applied to other sites of habitat type 6510 distributed throughout the state of Baden-Württemberg, which served to investigate spatial and temporal patterns of relevant nitrogen fluxes over an extended time period (1996 until 2012) and had been characterized in terms of soil and vegetation. 3. RESULTS. The nationwide data show a statistically significant decrease of habitat-typical low-nutrient indicator species and an increase of N indicator species with increasing atmospheric ammonia concentration on lowland hay meadows in Baden-Württemberg. Whether this is an effect of the atmospheric ammonia concentration or whether differences in agricultural land use structure play the decisive role could not be clarified with the available data. The intensive monitoring on selected FFH lowland hay meadows showed that soil-borne gross nitrification rates on soils from calcareous parent substrate (high pH) differed significantly from those from decalcified substrate (low pH). Both gross mineralization and gross nitrification were characterized by high temporal variability at all sites, which could not be explained by measurements of soil temperature and soil water content. Determination of net N turnover rates showed almost no variability and could not be used to draw conclusions about actual gross turnover rates in soil. The N-turnover model adapted for habitat type 6510 was able to represent spatial and temporal patterns over an extensive period of time. Simulation results showed high spatial and temporal variability for most N cycle variables. Soil organic N mineralization has a critical influence on the amount of plant-available N and thus has a direct impact on yield and N removal. On high clay-content soils and sites with high organic matter content, the model overestimated mineralization. External N inputs, such as moderate organic fertilization or atmospheric N deposition, were less crucial for yield. Additional N input is always a driving factor for N turnover in soil in the short term. With already high turnover levels, N turnover continues to increase and thus the risk of nutrient imbalances also increases. In the long term, the decisive factor for the N balance of FFH lowland hay meadows is whether N supply exceeds removal, whether the mineralizable organic N pools are thus increased, or whether a balance between supply and removal can be achieved. If soil internal N turnover is high, as it was the case on most of the simulated sites, a longer depletion phase should be applied before. In summary, this dissertation provides insight into the complexity of N cycling of FFH meadows. Using various approaches (statistical analyses, field trials, process-based modelling), it contributes to a better understanding of site-specific N turnover and the role of external N sources for the development of this ecosystem.