Summary
The heathland vegetation of the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, which had been formerly enclosed for agricultural purposes and allowed to revert to heathland, was compared with unenclosed areas. The enclosed vegetation tended to be more complex and intermediate between two of the main heath types found on the Lizard, ‘Short’ and ‘Tall Heath’ (sensu Coombe & Frost 1956a). The concentrations of exchangeable calcium, sodium and magnesium in the soils of the enclosed heaths were also intermediate between those of the two unenclosed vegetation types, whilst exchangeable potassium and total phosphorus concentrations were higher, perhaps a relic of past management. The enclosed heaths are therefore distinctive entities in their own right, although they are related to the unenclosed vegetation types. The relevance to healthland conservation on the Lizard Peninsula is discussed.
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Species nomenclature follows Clapham, Tutin & Warburg (1962) for higher plants and Watson (1968) for bryophytes.
We would like to thank Drs. D.E. Coombe and L.C. Frost for considerable assistance throughout this work. Professor P. Bannister and Mr. M.O. Hill assisted with numerical analysis, and Dr. D.F. Chamberlain confirmed the identification of bryophytes. Professor A.D. Bradshaw kindly allowed one of us (R.H.M.) the facilities of his department to complete this work. N.E.R.C. are thanked for financial support.
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Marrs, R.H., Proctor, J. Vegetation and soil studies of the enclosed heathlands of the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall. Vegetatio 41, 121–128 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00121425
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00121425