THE INFLUENCE OF RELIC RIDGE-AND-FURROW ON THE SOIL-WATER REGIME AND THE PLANT COMMUNITY OF AN ANCIENT MEADOW, CUMBRIA, ENGLAND

An example of relic ridge-and-furrow is shown to affect plant populati on structure in an ancient meadow. Discriminant analysis indicates a h ighly significant difference in the communities of the ridges and furr ows, the distribution of species such as Trifolium repens being strong ly related to the microtopography. With comparatively little differenc e in soil chemistry, the controlling factor appears to be the soil wat er regime. However, at this site, the comparative wetness of the furro ws is not related to the height of the water-table, nor to interflow f rom the upstanding ridges as has been presumed to be the case elsewher e. It is shown that differences in the structure and, thereby, in the pore size-distribution of ridge and furrow soils produces a difference in the moisture-release characteristic. These differences are attribu ted to long-term soil settlement and the erosional translocation of so il from ridges to furrows, as well as to the increased bioturbation as sociated with earthworm activity in the moister furrow soils.