Primary Production and Distribution of Organic Matter and Metal Elements in Two Heath Ecosystems

Abstract

This paper deals with the distribution of organic matter and metal elements, above-ground production, biomass increment and litter formation in two heath ecosystems dominated by Calluna vulgaris* and Erica tetralix respectively. The area studied is Skanors Ljung in south-western Sweden (latitude 55?24' N, longitude 12?54' E), one of the largest remaining heathlands in Scandinavia. Quantitative information concerning the chemical structure of heath ecosystems is scanty: almost nothing was known prior to the present study of the productivity and the distribution of organic matter and minerals in E. tetralix wet heaths. Large areas of heathland in northern Europe have changed into woodland during this century and the same fate seems inevitable for many of the remaining heaths; ecological documentation should be a matter of concern. This paper is a contribution to such documentation. A complete distribution analysis of several heavy metals (manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, and lead) is recorded in this paper and the amounts present per unit area are related to the calculated annual deposition.