Wetlands in Central Europe

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XVI

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2. Wetlands as habitats for soil organisms

   1. Front Matter

      Pages N1-N1

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   2. Annelid coenoses of wetlands representing different decomposer communities

      • Anneke Beylich, Ulfert Graefe

      Pages 1-10

   3. Earthworm coenoses in wet grassland of Northwest-Germany. Effects of restoration management on a Histosol and a Gleysol

      • Beate Keplin, Gabriele Broll

      Pages 11-34

   4. Reactions of soil Collembolan communities to inundation in floodplain ecosystems of the Upper Rhine Valley

      • David J. Russell, Hans Schick, Dietrich Nährig

      Pages 35-70

3. Soil ecological processes in fens and floodplains

   1. Front Matter

      Pages N3-N3

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   2. Management of moist grassland in a fresh-water marsh of the Weser river: effects on soil, vegetation, and fauna

      • Claudia Erber, Peter Felix-Henningsen, Klaus Handke, Wolfgang Kundel, Karl-Friedrich Schreiber

      Pages 71-98

   3. N-, P- and DOC-dynamics in soil and groundwater after restoration of intensively cultivated fens

      • Karsten Kalbitz, Holger Rupp, Ralph Meissner

      Pages 99-116

   4. Interaction between hydrology, pedology and vegetation at three minerothrophic peatland ecosystems

      • Uwe Schleuß, Michael Trepel, Holger Wetzel, Claus-Georg Schimming, Winfried Kluge

      Pages 117-132

4. Carbon and nitrogen dynamics in soils with different water regimes

   1. Front Matter

      Pages N5-N5

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   2. Variability of decomposition and nitrogen turnover in Scots pine ecosystems of Northwest-Germany under the influence of groundwater lowering

      • Oliver Bens, Peter Felix-Henningsen

      Pages 133-148

   3. Carbon and nitrogen mineralisation rates of fens in Germany used for agriculture. A review

      • Heinrich Höper

      Pages 149-164

   4. In situ measurement of denitrification and N₂O production in the saturated zone of three Eutric Histosols and of a Mollic Gleysol

      • Reinhard Well, Jürgen Augustin, Knut Meyer

      Pages 165-176

5. Trace gas emissions

   1. Front Matter

      Pages N7-N7

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   2. Methane emissions from wetland soils in Southwest-Germany

      • Michael Sommer, Sabine Fiedler

      Pages 177-196

   3. Methane dynamics of saltmarsh soils built up from marine and peat material at the German North Sea coast

      • Luise Giani, Katja Dittrich

      Pages 197-213

   4. The greenhouse gas exchange of a pond margin in South Germany

      • Stephan Glatzel, Karl Stahr

      Pages 215-233

   5. Trace gas emissions from riparian areas of small eutrophic inland waters in Northeast-Germany

      • Wolfgang Merbach, Thomas Kalettka, Catrin Rudat, Jürgen Augustin

      Pages 235-244

Wetlands are very sensitive ecosystems, functioning as a habitat for many organisms. Protection and regeneration of wetlands are of great importance in ecological research and in nature conservation. A huge amount of research has been done on the hydrology, plants and animals in wetlands. Knowledge about soil organisms and soil ecological processes of wetlands is still lacking. This knowledge is a prerequisite for landscape planning purposes or climate change predictions. In the case of climate change, trace gas emissions from wetlands are of great interest. The authors provide an overview of the state-of-the-art on soil ecology in wetlands. The book is divided into the following main chapters: 'Wetlands as habitats for soil organisms', 'Soil ecological processes in fens and floodplains', 'Carbon and nitrogen dynamics in soils with different water regimes' and 'Trace gas emissions'.

• Groundwater
• Habitat
• biology
• climate change
• ecology
• ecosystem
• ecosystems
• emissions
• fauna
• hydrology
• nature conservation
• nitrogen
• soil
• vegetation
• wetland
• hydrogeology

From the reviews:

"The book brings a substantial amount of scientific knowledge on the behaviour of various types of wetlands in Germany. The methodologies are based on up-to-date technologies and the experimental and monitoring designs are well planned. … includes complex ecological studies in various types of wetlands, which are of interest to all wetland specialists and ecologists in general." (Hana Cížková, Folia Geobotanica, Vol. 40 (4), 2005)

"The book succeeds in organizing and providing examples of many facets of wetland soil ecology. The articles are of high scientific standard, consistent, and well grouped and will be valuable to all professionals working in the field. … In any case, the book can clearly be recommended to all scientists working on greenhouse gases in submerged soils and wetland ecology in any part of the world, and it will hopefully raise the understanding of these sensitive and endangered ecosystems." (Sophie Zechmeister-Boltenstern, Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Vol. 166 (2), 2003)

• Department of Geoecology (ISPA), University of Vechta, Vechta, Germany

  Gabriele Broll

• Institute of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, University of Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany

  Wolfgang Merbach

• Institute of Soil Science, Hamburg, Germany

  Eva-Maria Pfeiffer

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