The relevance of seral eutrophication and plant competition to the management of successional communities

Seral and plagioclimax communities such as chalk grassland, dune grassland, and heathland, are of great conservational importance in the United Kingdom, and considerable resources are directed towards their management in nature reserves and amenity areas. It is suggested that an important feature of these communities is their low fertility, especially with respect to nitrogen, and that this is directly related to their floristic diversity. Successional changes, usually involving scrub colonization, lead to a build-up in fertility, to loss of floristic diversity, and often to a reduction in the wildlife and amenity value. The traditional forms of management practised on such communities—including grazing, burning, and mowing—probably arrest seral development partially by preventing the build-up of fertility in the ecosystem. Some examples of mineral nutrient studies are considered, and it is suggested that a greater knowledge of nutrient budgets is fundamental to the scientific management of these communities.