A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF NITROGEN FLOWS IN 2 SIMILAR MEADOWS AFFECTED BY DIFFERENT GROUNDWATER LEVELS

1. A comparative study was carried out on nitrogen flows in two meadow ecosystems that were similar al the beginning of the experiment. In t he wet meadow, groundwater levels had been raised and in the dry meado w no changes in the original groundwater levels had been imposed. 2. A nnual nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen accumulation in above-groun d biomass were reduced by c. 20% in the wet meadow as compared with th e dry meadow. In the dry compartment the peak in nitrogen mineralizati on was reached in spring, whereas in the wet compartment the peak was reached in summer. 3. In the wet compartment a smaller fraction of the ammonium produced was oxidized to nitrate than in the dry compartment (60% vs. 76%). 4. In both meadows annual nitrogen losses through deni trification were similar (about 17 kg N ha-1 year-1). During the summe r, however, denitrification was greater in the wet compartment. During the winter denitrification increased sharply, because of nitrate accu mulation in the soil at the end of the growing period and was greater in the dry compartment. 5. The nitrogen balance of the two meadow ecos ystems shows that the inputs through atmospheric deposition and the ou tputs through hay removal are quantitatively the most important compon ents of the nitrogen balance. Raising groundwater levels led to less n itrogen accumulation in the aboveground biomass and, thus, to smaller nitrogen outputs through hay removal.