| Popis: |
Peatland ecosystems cover about 8 % of the study area “Bornhoved Lake Region” (52 km2), 20 % of which are close to a natural state. Three peatland ecosystems under different land use (two under alder forest, one under pasture) with different hydrological conditions (two unflooded, one flooded) at Lake Belau were investigated. Hydrology and land use strongly influenced plant species composition and vegetation structure. Furthermore, great differences in water regime and eutrophication at the investigated ecosystems were recorded. The flooded alder forest showed a strong correlation between soil water level and lake water fluctuations, whereas the unflooded pasture was mainly characterised by vertical water exchange with the aquifer. Likewise, the nutrient situation differed markedly. With respect to the nitrogen cycle, the unflooded pasture site was affected by harvesting and fertilisation, whereas at the unflooded and flooded alder forest sites the main inputs resulted from N2-fixation and atmospheric deposition while the main outputs were leaching and denitrification. |
