Lowland Landscapes Research Articles

Comparing small mammal faunas based on barn owl (Tyto alba) pellets collected in two different lowland landscapes

The composition of small mammal assemblages was analysed in two lowland landscapes (Drava floodplain, Győr basin) and was evaluated on three different spatial scales (meso-, microregions and local scale), based on barn owl pellets collected between 2006 and 2009. Altogether 273 pellet samples were collected from 41 settlements of the two regions during the four years of monitoring. The analysed 6978 pellets contained 17214 small mammal individuals. The distribution of the relative abundance of small mammal taxa was evaluated as well as the correlation of frequency order on a meso- and microregional scale in the comparison of the two lowland areas. The food niche parameters of barn owl were calculated on a local scale, regarding the breeding pairs. We investigated three null hypotheses: the distribution of species frequency values is homogeneous between two landscape areas (H01); there are no significant differences in the rank of frequencies (H02) in meso- and microregional scale; and niche parameters of the barn owl do not show difference between two landscapes (H03). The first null hypothesis had to be rejected in several cases of small mammal taxa. The rank correlation of species frequency and the homogeneity test of total species pool of two investigated landscapes showed that the composition of small mammal fauna of the compared landscapes is basically the same, but the distribution of abundance was different between landscapes on both meso- and microregional scales. The statistical analysis of the niche parameters showed that the barn owl’s niche breadth did not differ between the Drava floodplain and the Győr basin. However, the niche overlap within each of the two mesoregions was higher than between them, and thus we rejected the third null hypothesis. This provides a further evidence that besides the species-specific hunting strategy, the regional differences of the quantitative relations of small mammals is also reflected in the dietary composition of the barn owl.

Quantifying landscape change in an arctic coastal lowland using repeat airborne LiDAR

Increases in air, permafrost, and sea surface temperature, loss of sea ice, the potential for increased wave energy, and higher river discharge may all be interacting to escalate erosion of arctic coastal lowland landscapes. Here we use airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data acquired in 2006 and 2010 to detect landscape change in a 100 km2 study area on the Beaufort Sea coastal plain of northern Alaska. We detected statistically significant change (99% confidence interval), defined as contiguous areas (>10 m2) that had changed in height by at least 0.55 m, in 0.3% of the study region. Erosional features indicative of ice-rich permafrost degradation were associated with ice-bonded coastal, river, and lake bluffs, frost mounds, ice wedges, and thermo-erosional gullies. These features accounted for about half of the area where vertical change was detected. Inferred thermo-denudation and thermo-abrasion of coastal and river bluffs likely accounted for the dominant permafrost-related degradational processes with respect to area (42%) and volume (51%). More than 300 thermokarst pits significantly subsided during the study period, likely as a result of storm surge flooding of low-lying tundra (<1.4 m asl) as well as the lasting impact of warm summers in the late-1980s and mid-1990s. Our results indicate that repeat airborne LiDAR can be used to detect landscape change in arctic coastal lowland regions at large spatial scales over sub-decadal time periods.

The Janda cavity at Fruška Gora, the first cave assemblage from the southeast Pannonian lowland (Vojvodina, Serbia)

The recently discovered Janda cavity yielded the first large mammal fossil assemblage of the Late Pleistocene age in the southeast Pannonian lowland (Vojvodina), outside the karst region of Serbia. The cavity is formed in the Badenian reef limestone on the northern hillside of the Fruška Gora mountain. The paper provides a paleontological description and taphonomic data on mammal remains collected from the loose sediments or scree. Herbivores are represented by Bison priscus (Bojanus, 1827), which is the most abundant species, followed by Megaloceros giganteus (Blumenbach, 1803) and Equus germanicus Nehring, 1884, with several remains of Mammuthus sp. and Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach, 1799). Carnivores are represented by Ursus spelaeus ingressus (Rabeder et al., 2004), Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss, 1823), Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810), as well as Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758. Wolf remains are characterized by their large size, almost reaching the size of hyenas, which is in contrast with the finds of rather small Pleistocene wolves from the caves in the mountainous part of Serbia. The faunal composition and the presence of mostly grazing forms among the herbivores indicate glacial conditions and an open landscape in the surroundings of the site during the formation of the Janda cavity infill. Taphonomic observations indicate the cave hyena as a dominant bone accumulating agent. In contrast to other cave hyena sites in Serbia, where mostly small and medium sized prey remains were accumulated, prey preference for large and extra large mammals is noted. It is supposed that this is the consequence of the differences between mountainous and lowland landscapes and environments, climatic conditions, different composition of animal and plant associations, and also in different modes of competitions between predators.

Satellite-based modeling of permafrost temperatures in a tundra lowland landscape

Remote sensing offers great potential for detecting changes of the thermal state of permafrost and active layer dynamics in the context of Arctic warming. This study presents a comprehensive feasibility analysis of satellite-based permafrost modeling for a typical lowland tundra landscape in the Lena River Delta, Siberia. We assessed the performance of a transient permafrost model which is forced by time series of land surface temperatures (LSTs) and snow water equivalents (SWEs) obtained from MODIS and GlobSnow products. Both the satellite products and the model output were evaluated on the basis of long-term field measurements from the Samoylov permafrost observatory. The model was found to successfully reproduce the evolution of the permafrost temperature and freeze-thaw dynamics when calibrated with ground measurements. Monte-Carlo simulations were performed in order to evaluate the impact of inaccuracies in the model forcing and uncertainties in the parameterization. The sensitivity analysis showed that a correct SWE forcing and parameterization of the snow's thermal properties are essential for reliable permafrost modeling. In the worst case, the bias in the modeled permafrost temperatures can amount to 5°C. For the thaw depth, a maximum uncertainty of about ±15cm is found due to possible uncertainties in the soil composition.

Structure, function and cross-scale properties of landscape boundaries – a case study of the Płock area

Abstract The paper describes features of landscape boundaries in the lowland landscape of Poland and verifies their cross-scale properties. The diversity of lithology, morphometry and land use was taken into account by delimitation of the boundaries. A scale of 1:50 000 was set as the basis. Three structural features (length, contrast and sinuosity) and two functional features (permeability and stability) were examined. The boundaries within the research area are typically of average length, low sinuosity, high permeability and low stability. A high correspondence between the diversity of abiotic components and land use is observed, resulting in a large number of high-contrast boundaries. However, this feature does not necessarily mean that these patterns are cross scale and can be applied at a higher level of landscape hierarchy. A geochemical/typological and regional order has been explored to describe properties of landscape boundaries for different spatial scales. Only the first of the listed orders corresponds to diversification of boundary features.

Using Chernobyl‐derived 137Cs to document recent sediment deposition rates on the River Plava floodplain (Central European Russia)

AbstractFloodplain sedimentation is one of the most dynamic geomorphic processes within plain and lowland landscapes. There is generally a good understanding of longer term floodplain evolution, but quantitative information on overbank deposition rates for recent shorter timescales is lacking. This paper describes the application of Chernobyl‐derived 137Cs to quantify floodplain aggradation rates for the River Plava (a small river draining a severely contaminated part of the upland region of Central European Russia), based on detailed sampling of four representative floodplain study sites. Two approaches have been employed for estimating post‐Chernobyl (1986–2009) floodplain accumulation rates. The first was based simply on locating the Chernobyl fallout‐associated 137Cs peak in overbank sediment sections. The second involved quantification of the increase in the total 137Cs inventory at individual sampling points associated with the post‐Chernobyl deposition of contaminated suspended sediment. It has been shown that considerable local‐scale variability of overbank deposition rates exists, with aggradation rates on the low level floodplain (6 ± 1.2–14 ± 2.8 mm year−1) exceeding by 1.5–3 times the values for the middle level floodplain (2 ± 0.4–9 ± 1.8 mm year−1) and by 3–6 times the values for the upper level floodplain (1 ± 0.2–5 ± 1.0 mm year−1) floodplain levels. Combining these estimates with information on the areas occupied by different floodplain levels within the 54 km long valley section, derived from detailed geomorphic surveys of the selected reaches, it has been estimated that about 9700 ± 1950 t of sediment have been stored on floodplain during the 1986–2009 period. The role of floodplain storage in the overall basin sediment budget and conveyance losses within the main channel system have been evaluated. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Snowcover and melt characteristics of upland/lowland terrain: Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada

The seasonal snowcover and snowmelt (2008–2010) of an extensive low-gradient wetland at Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Island, Nunavut, Canada (75°40′ N, 98°30′ W) was examined. This wildlife sanctuary is characterized by two large lakes and numerous tundra ponds, and is bordered by rolling hills with incised hillslope stream valleys. In arctic environments snow remains one of the most important sources of water for wetlands. End-of-winter snowcover measurements (snow depth, density, water equivalent) together with direct and modeled estimates of snowmelt provided an assessment of the seasonal snowcover regime of representative terrain types comprising upland (plateau, stream valley, late-lying snowbed) and lowland landscapes (wet meadow, ponds, lakes). In all three seasons, deep and persistent snowpacks occurred in sheltered areas (stream valleys) and in the lee of slopes adjacent to the wetland. Exposed areas yielded shallow snowpacks (e.g. plateau, pond) and they melted out rapidly in response to favorable weather conditions. Overall, the basin snowcover and melt progression was dominated by accumulation and melt occurring in upland areas. We surmise the sustainability of this low-gradient wetland is dependent on snowmelt contributions from upland sites.

Molecular identification of filterable bacteria and archaea in the water of acidic lakes of northern Russia

Wetland ecosystems are the natural centers of freshwater formation in northern Russia lowland landscapes. The humic acidic waters formed in bogs feed the numerous lakes of the northern regions. One milliliter of the water in these lakes contains up to 104 ultrasmall microbial cells that pass through “bacterial” filters with a pore size of 0.22 μm. The vast majority of these cells do not grow on nutrient media and cannot be identified by routine cultivation-based approaches. Their identification was performed by analysis of clone libraries obtained by PCR amplification of archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA genes from the fraction of cells collected from water filtrates of acidic lakes. Most of the obtained bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences represented the class Betaproteobacteria and exhibited the highest homology of (94–99%) with 16S rRNA genes of representatives of the genera Herbaspirillum, Herminiimonas, Curvibacter, and Burkholderia. The archaeal 16S rRNA gene clone library comprised genes of Euryarchaeota representatives. One-third of these genes exhibited 97–99% homology to the 16S rRNA genes of taxonomically described organisms of the orders Methanobacteriales and Methanosarcinales. The rest of the cloned archaeal 16S rRNA genes were only distantly related (71–74% homology) to those in all earlier characterized archaea.

Thailand. Border landscapes: The politics of Akha land use in China and Thailand. By Janet C. Sturgeon. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2005; and Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 2007. Pp. 255. Maps, Figures, Appendices, Notes, Glossary, Bibliography, Index.

Thailand. Border landscapes: The politics of Akha land use in China and Thailand. By Janet C. Sturgeon. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2005; and Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 2007. Pp. 255. Maps, Figures, Appendices, Notes, Glossary, Bibliography, Index. - Volume 43 Issue 2

Peat accumulation in drained thermokarst lake basins in continuous, ice‐rich permafrost, northern Seward Peninsula, Alaska

Thermokarst lakes and peat‐accumulating drained lake basins cover a substantial portion of Arctic lowland landscapes, yet the role of thermokarst lake drainage and ensuing peat formation in landscape‐scale carbon (C) budgets remains understudied. Here we use measurements of terrestrial peat thickness, bulk density, organic matter content, and basal radiocarbon age from permafrost cores, soil pits, and exposures in vegetated, drained lake basins to characterize regional lake drainage chronology, C accumulation rates, and the role of thermokarst‐lake cycling in carbon dynamics throughout the Holocene on the northern Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Most detectable lake drainage events occurred within the last 4,000 years with the highest drainage frequency during the medieval climate anomaly. Peat accumulation rates were highest in young (50–500 years) drained lake basins (35.2 g C m−2 yr−1) and decreased exponentially with time since drainage to 9 g C m−2 yr−1 in the oldest basins. Spatial analyses of terrestrial peat depth, basal peat radiocarbon ages, basin geomorphology, and satellite‐derived land surface properties (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI); Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF)) from Landsat satellite data revealed significant relationships between peat thickness and mean basin NDVI or MNF. By upscaling observed relationships, we infer that drained thermokarst lake basins, covering 391 km2 (76%) of the 515 km2 study region, store 6.4–6.6 Tg organic C in drained lake basin terrestrial peat. Peat accumulation in drained lake basins likely serves to offset greenhouse gas release from thermokarst‐impacted landscapes and should be incorporated in landscape‐scale C budgets.

Improving the Farmland Biodiversity Value of Riparian Buffer Strips: Conflicts and Compromises

The intensity of management of lowland grassland fields in the United Kingdom, coupled with the fact that such grasslands dominate much of the lowland landscape, means that there are now few opportunities for many plants, invertebrates, birds, or mammals to survive. The Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) has investigated whether fencing off the margins of such fields next to watercourses to control diffuse pollution has any positive impacts on biodiversity, based on assessments of vegetation composition and condition and structure of assemblages of invertebrates of importance as foodstuffs to farmland birds. Fencing watercourses increased the abundance of key groups of invertebrates. However, the invertebrate species diversity was not increased unless the margins were ≥ 5.4 m in width. Margins established in the study area to prevent access by livestock to watercourses or to enhance biodiversity are generally ≤ 2.6 m wide and are therefore unlikely to provide conditions for additional invertebrate species to use. The dense, tall swards within such margins are also unlikely to provide foraging opportunities for farmland birds. Management (such as low-intensity grazing by livestock in the margins) is essential to provide the conditions required for these groups, but this could conflict with the diffuse pollution mitigation aims. A compromise is proposed whereby limited autumn/winter grazing by livestock could be used to open the vegetation structure in the margins. Grazing by livestock at that time may be acceptable since it is not occurring in the period of main diffuse pollution concern (i.e., the fecal contamination of watercourses and bathing waters in the spring and summer). It is also essential that a landscape-scale approach is taken, driven by knowledge of the full needs of the species concerned, when deciding where best to target agri-environmental actions aimed at farmland bird conservation.

Nesting by the Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) in a nest of the whitetailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)

Abstract In 2011 and 201 2 two breedings by a pair of Eurasian eagle owls were observed in an old white-tailed eagles’ nest at Blatná Polianka in the Senianske rybníky SPA. The nest was situated in a grey poplar tree 1 5-20 m above the ground in a treebuffer by the rivulet Okna, in open lowland landscape without woodland, just with linear tree vegetation and scattered trees. In 2011 incubation of the clutch was observed and the female was present in the nest even at the end ofApril, when the fledglings were probably already present in the nest, but no more data on their further success were obtained. In 201 2 the pair of Eurasian eagle owls bred in the same nest again, but in May the nest was already abandoned and we suppose predation of the clutch, probably by ravens. This occasion is the third known breeding attempt by the Eurasian eagle owl in a raptor nest built in a tree, and the first known occasion of breeding in a white-tailed eagles’ nest in Slovakia. The obtained data also document the further spreading of the species in the Dolný Zemplín region into unusual habitats of a lowland agricultural landscape with very few trees.

Reduced grazing and the decline of Pulsatilla vulgaris Mill. (Ranunculaceae) in England, UK

In England Pulsatilla vulgaris is a threatened herb that declined from 130 to 33 sites between 1750 and the 1960s due to ploughing-up of calcareous grassland. We examined the subsequent fate of these populations using documentary evidence and field survey. Demographic trends were related to changes in grassland composition, structure and management and responses to increased above-ground competition (caused by reduced grazing) were simulated in a 10-year shading experiment. Since 1968 P. vulgaris has been lost from 16 sites and gradually declined on four others. However, the total population size increased by 258% due to the reintroduction of winter grazing on three sites. This produced a significantly shorter, more herb-rich sward, with a lower cover of Bromopsis erecta (c. 10%), than on sites where populations remained stable or declined. Experimental shading had a significant negative effect on plant survival and flowering performance. These results confirmed that reduced grazing is now one of the major threats to species dependent on short swards, especially on isolated sites where livestock farming is no longer economically viable. That many of these declines took place on nature reserves highlights the difficulties of managing isolated grasslands, and the urgent need to re-instate grazing on reserves supporting populations of threatened species in otherwise intensively managed lowland landscapes.

Spatial variation of soil δ13C and its relation to carbon input and soil texture in a subtropical lowland woodland

Spatial patterns of soil δ13C were quantified in a subtropical C3 woodland in the Rio Grande Plains of southern Texas, USA that developed during the past 100 yrs on a lowland site that was once C4 grassland. A 50 × 30 m plot and two transects were established, and soil cores (0–15 cm, n = 207) were collected, spatially referenced, and analyzed for δ13C, soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil particle size distribution. Cross-variogram analysis indicated that SOC remaining from the past C4 grassland community co-varied with soil texture over a distance of 23.7 m. In contrast, newer SOC derived from C3 woody plants was spatially correlated with root biomass within a range of 7.1 m. Although mesquite trees initiate grassland-to-woodland succession and create well-defined islands of soil modification in adjoining upland areas at this site, direct gradient and proximity analyses accounting for the number, size, and distance of mesquite plants in the vicinity of soil sample points failed to reveal any relationship between mesquite tree abundance and soil properties. Variogram analysis further indicated soil δ13C, texture and organic carbon content were spatially autocorrelated over distances (ranges = 15.6, 16.2 and 18.7 m, respectively) far greater than that of individual tree canopy diameters in these lowland communities. Cross-variogram analysis also revealed that δ13C – SOC and δ13C-texture relationships were spatially structured at distances much greater than that of mesquite canopies (range = 17.6 and 16.5 m, respectively). These results suggest fundamental differences in the functional nature and consequences of shrub encroachment between upland and lowland landscapes and challenge us to identify the earth system processes and ecosystem structures that are driving carbon cycling at these contrasting scales. Improvements in our understanding how controls over soil carbon cycling change with spatial scale will enhance our ability to design vegetation and soil sampling schemes; and to more effectively use soil δ13C as a tool to infer vegetation and soil organic carbon dynamics in ecosystems where C3–C4 transitions and changes in structure and function are occurring.

Dye tracer and morphophysical properties to observe water flow in a Gleyic Luvisol

The understanding of the preferential water flow and solute transport is important with regard to losses of nutrients and pesticides that affect the quality of the groundwater or surface water resources. Experiments using the brilliant blue dye tracer, a tension infiltrometer (TI) and a double square infiltrometer (DI) were carried out in the experimental field site located around 15 km southeast of the city of Rostock (North-Eastern Germany) on arable land in a Pleistocene lowland landscape where corn (Zea mays L.) and barley (Hordeum spp.) had been cultivated. One day after dye the infiltration, a pit was dug and vertical profiles were prepared in the TI and DI sites to assess the dye pathways in the subsoil of a Gleyic Luvisol. We wanted to examine if the mottled red and white (bleached) colour-pattern of the Gleyic Luvisol subsoil resulting from temporally stagnant water could be related to flow paths as visualized by dye tracing and if the soil colour could be related to other physical soil properties. Biogenic soil structures were the main transport routes conducting water and solutes into great depth in short time. These pathways had lower bulk density and less cone resistance than the adjacent red or white (bleached) areas of the Gleyic Luvisol subsoil. The red areas were involved in transport because their water contents increased after as compared to before infiltration. However, the measured physical soil properties did not differ between white and red areas. We assume that red areas participate in transport at least by imbibing water from the adjacent biogenic flow paths.

How incipient colonies create territory: the textual surveys of New Spain, 1520s–1620s

The study of colonial surveying and cartography has become key to understanding the history of European colonialism because of the recognition that land surveys and maps not only represent territory but form part of the process through which territory comes into being. While many studies have therefore focused on the history of instrumental surveying and cartography in New Spain, roughly equivalent to present-day Mexico, between the seventeenth and twentieth century, the textual surveys of the sixteenth century that helped to bring the initial colonial territory into being have gone largely unstudied. Content analysis of textual land surveys included in sixteenth-century viceregal land grants for sheep and cattle ranches demonstrates variation in references to distance, direction, and borders that begins to reveal a process of negotiation among local actors and centralized state power that was contingent on environmental, economic, and demographic differences between highland and lowland landscapes.

Contrasting local and regional Holocene histories of Abies alba in the Czech Republic in relation to human impact: Evidence from forestry, pollen and anthracological data

After the last glaciation, around 4000 BC, silver fir ( Abies alba Mill.) spread to the area that is now the Czech Republic. This spread was not restricted to high mountains, but also took place across both highland and lowland landscapes. Historical forestry records from around AD 1500 mention a massive expansion of Abies alba, favoured by forest pasturing, litter raking and selective tree cutting. According to the current interpretation of these historical records, this expansion in Czech forests was extensive and lasted until AD 1800. On the other hand, pollen data coming mostly from the Alps consider silver fir as a species that is extremely sensitive to human impact. In this paper, we compare historical forestry reports with pollen and charcoal data from the Czech Republic. Both pollen and charcoal records show that Abies alba reached its maximum during the Bronze (2200—800/750 BC) and Iron Ages (800/750 BC—AD 0). While charcoal records indicate that silver fir wood was important also during the High Medieval, pollen data show that the High Medieval and Modern times were periods of a general decline in Abies. Our data suggest that the expansion of silver fir documented by historical records was not general but rather fragmented, probably according to actual form and the intensity of human impact, as well as environmental conditions. These historical records have contributed much evidence regarding the wider ecological tolerance of Abies.

Postglacial vegetation history of Mitkof Island, Alexander Archipelago, southeastern Alaska

An AMS radiocarbon-dated pollen record from a peat deposit on Mitkof Island, southeastern Alaska provides a vegetation history spanning ∼12,900 cal yr BP to the present. Late Wisconsin glaciers covered the entire island; deglaciation occurred &gt; 15,400 cal yr BP. The earliest known vegetation to develop on the island (∼12,900 cal yr BP) was pine woodland (Pinus contorta) with alder (Alnus), sedges (Cyperaceae) and ferns (Polypodiaceae type). By ∼12,240 cal yr BP, Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) began to colonize the island while pine woodland declined. By ∼11,200 cal yr BP, mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) began to spread across the island. Sitka spruce-mountain hemlock forests dominated the lowland landscapes of the island until ∼10,180 cal yr BP, when western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) began to colonize, and soon became the dominant tree species. Rising percentages of pine, sedge, and sphagnum after ∼7100 cal yr BP may reflect an expansion of peat bog habitats as regional climate began to shift to cooler, wetter conditions. A decline in alders at that time suggests that coastal forests had spread into the island's uplands, replacing large areas of alder thickets. Cedars (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, Thuja plicata) appeared on Mitkof Island during the late Holocene.

Ceremony and Carpentry? Neolithic Stone Axeheads in an East Yorkshire (UK) Lowland Landscape

Ceremony and Carpentry? Neolithic Stone Axeheads in an East Yorkshire (UK) Lowland Landscape

Phosphorus losses from an artificially drained rural lowland catchment in North-Eastern Germany

In a small, extensively artificially drained lowland catchment (15.5 km 2) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (North-Eastern Germany), the dynamics and the extent of total phosphorus (TP) and total reactive phosphorus (TRP) losses as well as the discharge were monitored at different scales for three winter seasons of 6 months each. Ranging from 0.036 to 0.044 mg TP l −1 and from 0.030 to 0.037 mg TRP l −1, average phosphorus concentrations in the discharge of a collector drain, a ditch draining arable land and a small brook were low. Elevated concentrations occurred during intensive snowmelt events. Probably due to the re-mobilisation of phosphorus under anaerobic conditions, concentrations (0.137 mg TP l −1 and 0.076 mg TRP l −1) in a ditch draining grassland on degraded peat were significantly higher than at the other sites characterised by mineral soils. Generally, phosphorus concentrations increased with discharge at all sites except for the grassland, although not during each single discharge event. Surprisingly, a dependency on the fertilisation practices could not be found. The phosphorus losses per winter season were low, with a maximum of 270 g TP ha −1 and 211 g TRP ha −1. Using a two-component mixing model based on baseflow separation and parameter optimisation, it was estimated that around 53, 60 and 56% of the TP losses from the collector drain, from the ditch and from the brook as well as 53, 68 and 45% of the TRP loads were exported via a fast flow component. This component accounted for 18–23% of the total discharge. At all measurement stations, there were large differences between the partitioning patterns of the single discharge events. Our study has not only shown the event-based behaviour of the P losses and the possible occurrence of high P concentrations due to preferential flow, but also that the highest potential of eutrophication in this lowland landscape originates from drained, degraded, and intensively used peatlands.