10.5061/DRYAD.37K44
Emsens, Willem-Jan
University of Antwerp
Aggenbach, Camiel J.S.
University of Antwerp
Smolders, Alfons J.P.
Radboud University Nijmegen
Zak, Dominik
University of Rostock
van Diggelen, Ruurd
University of Antwerp
Aggenbach, C.J.S.
KWR Watercycle Research Institute
University of Antwerp
Smolders, A.J.P.
Radboud University Nijmegen
Emsens, W.-J.
University of Antwerp
Data from: Restoration of endangered fen communities: the ambiguity of
iron-phosphorus binding and phosphorus limitation
Dryad
dataset
2018
fen restoration
iron chemistry
nutrient limitation
red list
water levels
2018-03-27T00:00:00Z
2018-03-27T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12915
85204 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1.Low phosphorus (P) availability limits plant biomass production in fens,
which is a prerequisite for the persistence of many endangered plant
species. We hypothesized that P limitation is linked to soil iron (Fe)
content and soil Fe:P ratios as iron compounds provide binding sites for
dissolved P, presumably reducing P availability to plants. 2.We sampled 30
fens in a trans-European field survey to determine how soil Fe pools
relate to pools of P and Fe-bound P, and we measured vegetation P uptake
and N:P ratio to assess where P limitation occurs. Next, we determined P
uptake by Carex rostrata in experimental fen mesocosms to investigate
interactive effects of soil Fe- and P pools (and -NDASH-fractions) and
water levels (drained or rewetted). 3.The field survey revealed that soil
P pools correlate positively with soil Fe pools, regardless of fen
degradation level, location, or sampling depth. Moreover, soil Fe- and P
pools correlated positively with P uptake by the vegetation and negatively
with vegetation N:P ratios. Generally, N:P ratios dropped below 10 g g−1
whenever thresholds of 15 mmol Fe L−1 soil and 3.3 mmol P L−1 soil were
exceeded. Endangered fen species mainly thrived in Fe- (and thus P-) poor
fens. 4.The mesocosm experiment further showed that interactions between
water levels and P pools determined plant P uptake: although fen rewetting
led to an overall increase in P uptake, plants that had grown on drained
Fe-rich soils with large acid-extractable P pools (>1.6 mmol Pacid
L−1) could still sequester large quantities of P. Soil Fe:P ratio had no
effect on P uptake. 5.Synthesis and applications. Our findings have
important implications for the management and restoration of endangered
fen communities. We demonstrated the existence of an iron-phosphorus
(Fe-P) binding ambiguity in fens: large Fe pools “trap” mobile P, thereby
enhancing overall P availability to plants rather than diminishing it. For
P limitation we suggest an empirical threshold of < 3.3 mmol P L−1
soil, which is mainly found in Fe-poor fens. Restoring fens by rewetting
increases the relative availability of P and may not always result in
favourable conditions for endangered fen communities. Rewetting of drained
fens is most likely to be successful if soil P and Fe pools are well below
3.3 mmol L−1 and 15 mmol L−1 respectively.
Emsens et al. DatafileThis file contains data of the field survey,
vegetation relevees and the mesocosm experiment (3 tabs).Emsens et al.
Data.xlsx
Europe