REFOSOLRestoration of the ecosystem fonctioning of a degraded mountain grassland |
backgroundBiodiversity represents a “insurance” for the functioning of the ecosystems. To know the functional relations between the components of the biodiversity (here soil and vegetation) may be crucial to predict the response of ecosystems to various scenarios of global change or in the terms of ecological restoration projects.Human activities release quantities of active nitrogen (N) without precedent, modifying the total N-cycle and leading to the eutrophication of the biosphere. Subalpine grasslands are well-known for their ecological and agronomic value, and are highly sensitive to increases in N. In three nutrient-enriched subalpine grasslands (night enclosures degraded by the accumulation of excrements and trampling), we propose to study a process to rebalance the C/N-ratio of the soil. Our aim is restoring the floristic richnesse and identifying the role of the soil microbial community in the restoration process in order to optimize it. duration & founding
methodsWithin the perimeter of the Natural Reserve of the High Plateaux du Vercors, three subalpine grasslands will be selected. Within each subalpine grasslands, 4 experimental plots will be chosen, three in highly N-enriched situations (night enclosures, two of them fenced to avoid any further disturbance by domestic grazers) and one in a typical grasslands in the neighbourhood. Sawdust wil be randomly applied to two of the plots within the night enclosure. During one field season, biomass productivity of Fallopia sp. was measured above- and belowground and soil humidity and temperature monitored.publications & links Spiegelberger, T., Matthies, D., Müller-Schärer, H., Schaffner, U.
(2008) Sawdust addition reduces the productivity of nitrogen-enriched mountain
grasslands. Restoration Ecology, in press.
last update: Feb 09
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