Geescroft Wilderness
- Experiment Code: R/GE/9
- Experiment Site: Rothamsted
- Objectives: To study the establishment of plants after abandonment of arable cropping and subsequently the accumulation of organic carbon above and below ground.
- Date Start: 1883
- Date End: Ongoing
Description
- The Geescroft Wildernesses site at Rothamsted was 'fenced off' in the 1880's and left to revert naturally to woodland. The site had previously been arable for centuries. It is an acidic site (in contrast to the calcareous Broadbalk Wilderness). Although not an experiment in the usual sense, it is of great value, especially for looking at long-term changes in soil and regeneration of woodland vegetation. Geescroft Wilderness is an ECN (Environmental Change Network) site and is surveyed every 3 years.
Funding
- The e-RA database, including the published datasets generated from it, is part of the Rothamsted Long-Term Experiments - National Bioscience Research Infrastructure (RLTE-NBRI) , which also includes the Long-Term Experiments, the Sample Archive and Rothamsted's environmental monitoring activities including the weather stations and its role in the UK Environmental Change Network.
- The RLTE-NBRI is supported by the Lawes Agricultural Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (Grants BBS/E/C/00005189 (2012-2017); BBS/E/C/000J0300 (2017-2022); BBS/E/RH/23NB0007 (2023-2028)).
Keywords
- ecological succession, geescroft wilderness experiment, long term experiments, rothamsted research, soil organic carbon, woodland
Datasets available
| Title (hover for a longer description) | Year of Publication | Identifier | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
Soil data | |||
| Geescroft wilderness accumulation of organic carbon | 2015 | https://doi.org/10.23637/KeyRefOAGEWoc |
01 |
- List all eRA datasets
- Additional data is available through e-RAdata. Please register for access
Site: Geescroft Wilderness - Rothamsted
- Experiment Site: Rothamsted
- Description: The Geescroft Wilderness at Rothamsted was left to revert naturally to woodland in 1886. The site had previously been arable for centuries, most recently with field beans 1847-1878, bare fallow 1879-1883 and clover 1883-1885. It is an area of 1.3 ha.
- Management: Small amounts of chalk were applied in the 1840s-1880s, and the soil is now acidic (pH fell from 7.1 in 1883 to 4.4 in 1999).
- Visit Permitted?: Yes
- Visiting Arrangments: By arrangement with Dr Andy Gregory, LTE Manager
- Elevation: 133 Metres
- Geolocation: 51.802193, -0.36036
Soil
- Type: Chromic Luvisol
Batcombe soil series, silty clay loam surface overlying clay-with-flints, overlying chalk at a depth of several meters.
- Soil Properties
| Variable | Value | Reference Year | Is Estimated | Is Baseline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soil pH | 4.4 () | 1999 | NO | NO |
| Soil pH | 7.1 () | 1183 | NO | NO |
| Clay content | 22.5% (Percent) | NO | NO | |
| Clay content | 55% (Percent) | NO | NO |
Experiment Design
Use the arrows to navigate between periods
Description
- This acidic site, Geescroft Wilderness, is now a deciduous wood dominated by oak (Quercus robur), with an understory of holly (Ilex aquafolium). Because the soil is so acidic, there are few ground cover species, and there is a permanent litter layer (in contrast to the Broadbalk Wilderness, where each year's litter decomposes).
Design
- Period: 1847 - Now
Crops
| Crop | Years Grown |
|---|---|
| Regeneration to Woodland | 1886 - |
Factors
Factors are the interventions or treatments which vary across the experiment.
| Level Name | Factor Name | Amount | Years | Frequency | Method | Chemical Form | Notes |
|---|
Measurements
| Variable | Unit | Collection Frequency |
Material | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soil Organic Carbon | t/ha | Infrequent | Soil | Sample data for 1883, 1904, 1965, 1999 (comprising 8, 2, 4, 8 separate samples respectively). Other physical samples available in sample archive (1963, 1964, 1969, 1990, 1991, 1992) |
| Plant Biomass | t/ha | Infrequent | Sample data = organic carbon from 1883, 1904, 1965, 1999 for trees/shrubs, litter and roots. |
License
These media (images and videos) are
available under a Creative Commons
Attribution Licence (4.0) with attribution to Rothamsted Research.
Images
Key References
2016
- - J. Storkey, A.J. Macdonald, J.R. Bell, I.M. Clark, A.S. Gregory, N.J. Hawkins, P.R. Hirsch, L.C. Todman and Whitmore, A. P. (2016) "The Unique Contribution of Rothamsted to Ecological Research at Large Temporal Scales.", Advances in Ecological Research (eds: A.J. Dumbrell , R.L. Kordas and G. Woodward - Academic Press), Vol 55, Chapter 1, pp. 3–42 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2016.08.002
2008
- - Jenkinson, D. S., Poulton, P. R. and Bryant, C. (2008) "The turnover of organic carbon in subsoils. Part 1. Natural and bomb radiocarbon in soil profiles from the Rothamsted long-term field experiments", European Journal of Soil Science, 59, 391–399 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.2008.01025.x
2003
- - Poulton, P. R., Pye, E., Hargreaves, P. R. and Jenkinson, D. S. (2003) "Accumulation of carbon and nitrogen by old arable land reverting to woodland", Global Change Biology, 9, 942–955 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2486.2003.00633.x
2002
- - Blake, L. and Goulding, K. W. T. (2002) "Effects of atmospheric deposition, soil pH and acidification on heavy metal contents in soils and vegetation of semi-natural ecosystems at Rothamsted Experimental Station, UK", Plant and Soil, 240, 235–251 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015731530498
- - Pye, E. (2002) "Investigation of woodland regeneration within two Wilderness areas. BSc project report (Environmental Sciences)", University of Hertfordshire
2001
- - Harmer, R., Peterken, G., Kerr, G. and Poulton, P. (2001) "Vegetation changes during 100 years of development of two secondary woodlands on abandoned arable land", Biological Conservation, 101, 291–304 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00072-6
1999
- - Blake, L., Goulding, K. W. T., Johnston, A. E. and Mott, C. J. B. (1999) "Changes in soil chemistry accompanying acidification over more than 100 years under woodland and grass at Rothamsted Experimental Station, UK", European Journal of Soil Science, 50, 401–412 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2389.1999.00253.x
1996
- - Kerr, G., Harmer, R. and Moss, S. R. (1996) "Natural colonisation: a study of Broadbalk Wilderness", Aspects of Applied Biology, 25–32
- - Poulton, P. R. (1996) "Geescroft Wilderness, 1883-1995", NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Evaluation of soil organic matter models using existing long-term datasets, NATO ASI Series I: Global Environmental Change, (Powlson D. S. , Smith P. and Smith J.U. (eds) - Springer-Verlag, Berlin), Vol 38, 385–389
1971
- - Jenkinson, D. S. (1971) "The accumulation of organic matter in soil left uncultivated", Rothamsted Experimental Station Report for 1970 , Part 2 , 113–137 Get from eRAdoc: ResReport1970p2-113-137
1965
- - Garner, H. V., Witts, K. J., King, D. W., Jenkinson, D. S., Yuen, P. H. and Skinner, F. A. (1965) "Broadbalk Wilderness", Rothamsted Experimental Station Report for 1964 , , 218–223 Get from eRAdoc: ResReport1964-219-224 DOI: https://doi.org/10.23637/ERADOC-1-50229
1915
- - Brenchley, W. E. and Adam, H. (1915) "Recolonisation of cultivated land allowed to revert to natural conditions", Journal of Ecology, 3, 193–210 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2255489
1895
- - Lawes, J. B. (1895) "Upon some properties of soils, which have grown a cereal crop and a leguminous crop for many years in succession. ", Agricultural Students' Gazette, New Series, 7, 65–72 (Series 1/91)
