Nitrogen- or phosphorus-limited growth in herbaceous, wet vegetation: relations with atmospheric inputs and management regimes.
Herbaceous vegetation under temperate climatic conditions generally shows nitrogen- or phosphorus-limited plant growth, which creates conditions for a high botanical diversity. Is nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) the most important limiting factor, or are both generally in short supply? What are the consequences of Increased N and P inputs that result from anthropogenic disturbances? A new indicator of N or P limitation, that is, the vegetation N:P ratio, allows us to address these questions for a range of mires, dune slacks and moist grasslands.
J.T.A. Verhoeven is at the Dept of Plant Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Utrecht University, PO Box 800.84, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands.
J T
JT
Verhoeven
W
W
Koerselman
A F
AF
Meuleman