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Project title

Turlough Soils - spatial and temporal fluxes in plant nutrients

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

University of Dublin, Trinity College (TCD)

Lead Applicant

Stephen Waldren

Project Abstract

Turloughs are annually flooding karstic depressions which constitute ecologically important and geographically restricted ground-water dependent ecosystems identified as priority habitats under the EU Habitats Directive. Turlough conservation is also driven by the EU Water Framework Directive and there have been recent attempts to characterise the karst aquifers associated with turloughs which are generally of a conduit or shallow epikarst nature. Different types of karst aquifers are thought to influence turlough trophic status and ecological diversity. The natural trophic status of turloughs is also thought to be influenced by the soil types present however the relationships between turlough karst aquifers soil types and soil nutrient status are poorly understood. Eutrophication constitutes one of the main threats to the quality of the turlough habitat and soil nutrient assessments are required to generate quantitative information on turlough trophic ranges. Soil property variability is well recognised however information on the spatial and temporal variations of turlough soil nutrient related properties and how these might influence plant community structure and sampling strategies for conservation assessment is lacking. The primary aim of this project was to contribute to a better understanding of turlough spatial and temporal soil nutrient dynamics and their associations with soil types vegetation types karst aquifer types and current turlough trophic assessments.

Grant Approved

�72,300.00

Research Hub

Natural Environment

Research Theme

Improve our Knowledge on the State of our Water Resources and Pressures

Start Date

01/11/2002

Initial Projected Completion Date

n/a