1 A factorial fertilizer experiment was conducted in a 15-year-old coastal barrier salt marsh with a low soil nitrogen content, and in an older 100-year-old marsh with a higher nitrogen content. Plots were fertilized at high and low marsh elevations in both marshes. Nitrogen and phosphorus were applied at low and high concentrations both separately and in combination in each of 3 successive years.
2 Nitrogen limited above-ground plant growth in both young and old salt marshes in all years. Phosphorus limitation of plant growth was apparent in the first year in the young marsh and in the last year in both marshes. In young marshes with low soil organic matter, phosphorus limitation may occur. In addition, phosphorus limitation occurs at both successional stages when a marsh is saturated with nitrogen.
3 Plant species that are typical of nitrogen-rich habitats and late successional stages significantly increased in biomass after fertilization. Limonium vulgare, a low stature species of early and intermediate successional stages, decreased in biomass, whereas the taller Elymus pycnanthus and Artemisia maritima increased. After 3 years of fertilization, plant species composition in a young marsh was similar to the species composition in an unfertilized older marsh. Fertilization of a 100-year-old marsh, however, still resulted in a change in plant species composition, suggesting that succession was still occurring and that, overall, plants in marshes of different age are similar in their response to fertilization.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "PRODUCTIVITY", "herbivory", "plant succession", "15. Life on land", "fertilization experiment", "01 natural sciences", "nitrogen", "SOILS", "NUTRIENT LIMITATION", "PLANT-SPECIES COMPOSITION", "PROLINE", "PATTERNS", "COMMUNITIES", "plant-species interactions", "ACCUMULATION"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Jan P. Bakker, Harm van Wijnen,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2745.1999.00349.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Journal%20of%20Ecology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1046/j.1365-2745.1999.00349.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1046/j.1365-2745.1999.00349.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1046/j.1365-2745.1999.00349.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "1999-03-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-26T16:18:48Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2009-07-23", "title": "Shrub Encroachment Can Reverse Desertification In Semi-Arid Mediterranean Grasslands", "description": "AbstractThe worldwide phenomenon of shrub encroachment in grass\uffe2\uff80\uff90dominated dryland ecosystems is commonly associated with desertification. Studies of the purported desertification effects associated with shrub encroachment are often restricted to relatively few study areas, and document a narrow range of possible impacts upon biota and ecosystem processes. We conducted a study in degraded Mediterranean grasslands dominated by Stipa tenacissima to simultaneously evaluate the effects of shrub encroachment on the structure and composition of multiple biotic community components, and on various indicators of ecosystem function. Shrub encroachment enhanced vascular plant richness, biomass of fungi, actinomycetes and other bacteria, and was linked with greater soil fertility and N mineralization rates. While shrub encroachment may be a widespread phenomenon in drylands, an interpretation that this is an expression of desertification is not universal. Our results suggest that shrub establishment may be an important step in the reversal of desertification processes in the Mediterranean region.
", "keywords": ["0106 biological sciences", "2. Zero hunger", "Mediterranean Region", "Shrub encroachment", "Mediterranean", "15. Life on land", "01 natural sciences", "Soil", "Stipa tenacissima", "Semi-arid", "13. Climate action", "Ecosystem functioning", "Desert Climate", "Plant successional dynamics", "Global change", "Desertification", "Ecosystem", "Plant Physiological Phenomena"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Ecology%20Letters", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01352.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2009-08-13T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1139/x92-146", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-26T16:19:07Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2009-12-18", "title": "Carbon Storage In Lake States Aspen Ecosystems", "description": "Total ecosystem carbon in the soil and vegetation was measured for a range of aspen (Populustremuloides Michx.) ecosystems, including a chronosequence on the same soil ranging in age from 0 to 80 years. Soil carbon stayed relatively constant throughout the stand's life and was not affected by timber harvesting. Changes in ecosystem carbon closely paralleled the changes in standing biomass. Aspen grown on 40-year rotations on good soils will sequester several times as much carbon per year as old-growth forests.
", "keywords": ["Management Options", "0106 biological sciences", "Michigan", "Spermatophyta", "Angiosperms", "Broadleaves", "wisconsin", "aspen", "Minnesota", "01 natural sciences", "Dicots", "forest succession", "Spermatophytes", "Populus tremuloides", "Biomass", "Plantae", "Forest Sciences", "USA", "Vascular Plants", "Salicaceae: Dicotyledones", "carbon", "Rotation Length", "age of trees", "Forestry", "Carbon cycle", "plant succession", "Plants", "Timber Harvest", "forest ecosystem", "carbon storage", "15. Life on land", "Angiospermae", "Chronosequence Soil Carbon", "ecosystems"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Alban, David H., Perala, D.A.,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1139/x92-146"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Canadian%20Journal%20of%20Forest%20Research", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1139/x92-146", "name": "item", "description": "10.1139/x92-146", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1139/x92-146"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "1992-08-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.5061/dryad.11m00", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-26T16:21:19Z", "type": "Dataset", "title": "Data from: Shrub encroachment can reverse desertification in semi-arid Mediterranean grasslands", "description": "unspecifiedEnvironmental and soil data from encroached/unencroached Stipa tenacissima steppes from SpainEnvironmental (coordinates, elevation, slope, aspect, mean annual rainfall and temperature) and soil (pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, soil respiration, potassium and nitrogen mineralization) variables at the microsite and site scales for Stipa tenacissima grasslands with and without sprouting shrubs in a gradient from central to southern Spain.Ecol_Lett_2009.zip", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "Stipa tenacissima", "Holocene", "13. Climate action", "semi-arid", "15. Life on land", "Plant successional dynamics", "shrub encroachment", "Desertification"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Maestre, Fernando T., Bowker, Matthew A., Puche, Mar\u00eda D., Bel\u00e9n Hinojosa, M., Mart\u00ednez, Isabel, Garc\u00eda-Palacios, Pablo, Castillo, Andrea P., Soliveres, Santiago, Luzuriaga, Ar\u00e1ntzazu L., S\u00e1nchez, Ana M., Carreira, Jos\u00e9 A., Gallardo, Antonio, Escudero, Adri\u00e1n,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.11m00"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.5061/dryad.11m00", "name": "item", "description": "10.5061/dryad.11m00", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.5061/dryad.11m00"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2013-08-13T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "bddcad29-92ec-40a9-9b90-5deb3ffe7b2d", "type": "Feature", "geometry": {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[13.47, 53.29], [13.47, 53.43], [13.86, 53.43], [13.86, 53.29], [13.47, 53.29]]]}, "properties": {"themes": [{"concepts": [{"id": "farming"}], "scheme": "https://standards.iso.org/iso/19139/resources/gmxCodelists.xml#MD_TopicCategoryCode"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "kettle holes"}, {"id": "plants"}, {"id": "water levels"}, {"id": "vegetation"}, {"id": "dynamics"}, {"id": "climate change"}, {"id": "plant succession"}, {"id": "unmanned aerial vehicles"}, {"id": "unmanned aerial vehicles"}, {"id": "water levels"}], "scheme": "AGROVOC Multilingual agricultural thesaurus"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "Lebensr\u00e4ume und Biotope"}], "scheme": "GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "opendata"}, {"id": "macrophytes"}], "scheme": "individual"}, {"concepts": [{"id": "Germany"}, {"id": "Brandenburg"}, {"id": "Uckermark"}, {"id": "Quillow"}], "scheme": "Individual"}], "rights": "Reports, articles, papers, scientific and non-scientific works of any form, including tables, maps, or any other kind of output, in printed or electronic form, based in whole or in part on the data supplied, must contain an acknowledgement of the form: \"Data re-used from the BonaRes Data Centre www.bonares.de. This data were created as part of ZALF research activities\". Although every care has been taken in preparing and testing the data, ZALF and BonaRes Data Centre cannot guarantee that the data are correct; neither does ZALF and BonaRes Data Centre accept any liability whatsoever for any error, missing data or omission in the data, or for any loss or damage arising from its use. The ZALF and Data Centre will not be responsible for any direct or indirect use which might be made of the data. If access to actual data is requested, please contact the data owner/author because these underlay an embargo.", "updated": "2023-08-16", "type": "Dataset", "created": "2021-03-05", "language": "eng", "title": "Coverage of dominant plant taxa, water surface area and hydrogeomorphological information for kettle holes surveyed in 2016, 2018 and 2020.", "description": "The published Excel tables contain coverage data from dominant plant communities (response variables) as well as from environmental variables (explanatory variables) collected at kettle holes.\nThe dominant plant communities and their coverage were determined on the basis of UAS images in summer 2016, 2018 and 2020. The delimitation of homogeneous vegetation from the surrounding vegetation areas, the water or the soil was done manually using the color, texture and/or shape in the UAS images. In the end there were 14 dominant plant communities. \nThe environmental variables include the kettle hole and the water surface area, which were determined every year based on the same UAS images as dominant plant communities. In addition, we publish the hydrogeomorphological types of the examined kettle holes and the class of the shore slope, both variables included as dummy variables.", "formats": [{"name": "CSV"}], "keywords": ["kettle holes", "plants", "water levels", "vegetation", "dynamics", "climate change", "plant succession", "unmanned aerial vehicles", "unmanned aerial vehicles", "water levels", "Lebensr\u00e4ume und Biotope", "opendata", "macrophytes", "Germany", "Brandenburg", "Uckermark", "Quillow"], "contacts": [{"name": "Paetzig, Marlene", "organization": "Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)", "position": null, "roles": ["author"], "phones": [{"value": "+49 33432 82-470"}], "emails": [{"value": "marlene.paetzig@zalf.de"}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": ["Eberswalder Str.84"], "city": "M\u00fcncheberg", "administrativeArea": "15374", "postalCode": "15374", "country": "Germany"}], "links": [{"href": {"url": "https://orcid.org/", "protocol": null, "protocol_url": "", "name": "orcid:0000-0003-1687-6982", "name_url": "", "description": "orcid", "description_url": "", "applicationprofile": null, "applicationprofile_url": "", "function": null}}]}, {"name": "Henning, Dorith", "organization": "Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)", "position": null, "roles": ["dataCollector"], "phones": [{"value": "+49 33432 82 332"}], "emails": [{"value": "henning@zalf.de"}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": ["Eberswalder Str.84"], "city": "M\u00fcncheberg", "administrativeArea": "Brandenburg", "postalCode": "15374", "country": "Germany"}], "links": [{"href": null}]}, {"name": "D\u00fcker, Eveline", "organization": "unknown", "position": null, "roles": ["dataCollector"], "phones": [{"value": null}], "emails": [{"value": "unknown"}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": [null], "city": null, "administrativeArea": null, "postalCode": null, "country": null}], "links": [{"href": null}]}, {"name": "Kalettka, Thomas", "organization": "Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)", "position": null, "roles": ["dataCollector"], "phones": [{"value": "+49 (0)33432 82-361"}], "emails": [{"value": "tkalettka@zalf.de"}], "addresses": [{"deliveryPoint": ["Eberswalder Str. 84"], "city": "M\u00fcncheberg", "administrativeArea": "Brandenburg", "postalCode": "15374", "country": "Germany"}], "links": [{"href": null}]}, {"name": "Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)", "organization": "Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)", "position": "Research Platform 'Data Analysis & Simulation' - 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