Plant communities of wet ground in North East Cheshire, England

P L A N T C O M M U N I T I E S OF WET G R O U N D

IN N O R T H EAST C H E S H I R E , E N G L A N D

by

BRIAN MOSS 1

University of Bristol

INTRODUCTION

The vegetation of the low hills of north-east Cheshire (2o5 ' W, 53°5 o' N) is much influenced by agricultural practice. However, in some areas semi-natural grassland and associated plant communities clearly display relations between vegetation and physical factors. Where drainage is impeded, marshes whose predominant plant is the common rush, Juncus effusus, are a common feature of upland grassland. In and around Lyme Park, Cheshire are a number of these marshes, and a part of the valley of the Bollinhurst Brook which flows through the park was fbund to be of particular ecolog- ical and geomorphologicat interest. Investigation of the pattern of the vegetation in this valley forms the major part of this paper. However interpretation of vegetation pattern depended on a knowl- edge of the conditions under which Juncus effusus marshes develop. This information was obtained from a survey of marshes in the area, and is presented in the first part of the paper.

GENERAL SURVEY AREA OF INVESTIGATION

The area lay partly in the Peak District National Park and the majority of the communities examined were within Lyme Park, an estate of sub-montane grassland and plantations, i I kin south east of Stockport. Some lowland sites, at 125o' (76 m) O.D. near Woodley were examined and the highest sites were at IOOO' (305 m) O.D. The sites ranged from small marshes on the flood plain of the River Thame, a tributary of the River Mersey, to large marshes on the low hills of the coal measure shales and grits at the western edge of the S. Pennine anticline.

Detailed climatic information for the actual area is not available but the climatic regime of the Peak Park is broadly uniform (EDWARDS et al. 1962 ). Measurements from Buxton [I,OO 7' (307 m) O.D.] and Manchester [15o' (45.8 m) O.D.] give a general picture.

1) Present address: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48823, U.S.A.

374 BRIAN MOSS

The mean annual rainfall [35"--4 o" (89- - io2 cm)] is evenly distributed throughout the year. Snow lies for 2o days in an average year, and the mean air temperature is 45 ° F (7.4 ° C). In the sunniest month (June) the number of hours of sunshine per day averages less than six. The area is relatively cool and damp.

The sites examined were determined by their preponderance of' Juncus e~usus and were easily recognizable. Full details of each site are given in table I.

Table I, LIST OF SITES INCLUDED IN GP~ERAL SUI~JEY

C, Cattle; R, Red Deer, S, Sheep

JUNCUS EFFUSUS MARSHES

Code No. Map Ref.

Bollinhurst Valley SJ 966840

Area A " B " C " D " E " F " G

Goaty i SJ 938935

Goaty 3 "

Goaty 5

Altitude Aspec~i Surrounding Shading ft, (m) of Vegetation

Drain ~ ag~

pH Crazing Notes

183 N See Text None 3-4.5 SD See Text

SW Pastureland None 76.3

~oodley 6 SJ 936931 73.2 h~

SJ 968843 183 SW

SJ 966842 183 I~W

SJ 969832 244 N

4

SJ 969829 244 N

" 4

Woodland Little 4

t

~0odley 7

~oodley 8

Lyme i

hyme 2

Lyme 3

Lyme 4

4-5 C Old course of R. Theme

4 ,i Some standing water

4 Depression clo to new of R. Theme

4-5 Depression on flood plain of R. Theme

Festuca/ Agrostis grassland

None 3-4

C Wet area at he of in inflow 't~

I small fishpool

C Community on fringe of fish pond

5D Open clearing next to stream flowlmg throu~ Coalpit Clough

SD Steep sided valley of stre; entering Coalp: Clough

PLANT COMMUNITIES IN NORTH EAST CHESHIRE 375

PIIYSICO.CHEMICAL FACTORS COMMON TO JUNCUS EFFUSUS MARSHES

Examination of the sites (Table I) revealed the following common features:

I. The presence of abundant water supply, with some flow- through.

2. The pH of the surface soil was about 4- Lower pH's were associated with the presence of bog plants (e.g. Lyme 16).

Table ~ continued

Aspect

Code No.

Lyme 5

[

Lyme 6

Lyme 8

Lyme 10

Lyme 12

Lyme 14

Lyme 16

DESCHAMPSIA

w

Goaty 2

Lyme 17

Lyme 18

Lyme ii

Bollinhurst Valley

L~e 15

376 BRIAN MOSS

TABLE II

Composition of the plant community ofJuncus effusus marshes

PRESENT IN I OO ~/0 OF SITES

yUnC~;S gffUSUS

PRESENT IN 80--9 ° % oF SITES

Galium patustre Deschampsia cespitosa

PRESENT IN 60--79 % OF SITES

Stdlaria alsine

PRESENT IN 4o--59 % OF SITES

Urtica dioica C2rsium palustre Anthoxanthum odoratum Poa trivialis

PRESENT IN 2 0 - - 3 9 % OF SITES

Cirsium arvense Cirsium vulgate Epilobium obscurum Epilobium patustre Galium saxatile Myosotis caespitosa Polygonum minus Juncus articulatus

Cardamine flexuosa

Holcus tanatus

Rumex acetosella

Acrocladium cuspidatum Sphagnum spp.

Ranunculus acris Ranunculus repens Agrostis tenuis Carex nigra Carex ovalis GIyceria declinata Holcus moIlis Dryopteris sp.

PRESENT IN UP TO 19 % OF SITES

(grouped according to the adjacent habitats in which they were also found).

Semi-aquatic and aquatic vegetation

Alisma plantago-aquatica Bidens cernuum Callitriche sp. Caltha palustris Epilobium hirsutum Lemna minor Lotus uligenosus

Waste Land

Angelica sylvestris Charaaenerion angustifolium Polygonum persicaria

Deschampsia caespitosa community

Festuca rubra

Festuca/Agrostis grassland

Leontodon autumnalis Lotus" corniculatus Nardus stricta Potentilla erecta

PotentiUa palustris Ranunculus flammula Scutellaria galericulata Veronica becabunga Sparganium erectum Triglochin palustre

Bell# perennis Heracleum sphondyltum Rumex obtzLdfolius

Ceratodon purflureus Rhytidiadelphus sp.


Molinia grassland

Agrostis canina ssp. canina Carex echinata

Pastureland

Cardamine hirsutum Cardamine pratensis Centaurea nigra Equisetum awense

Woodland

Acer pseudo-platanus (seedling) Oxalis acetosella Pteridium aquiIinum

Deschampsia flexuosa Molinia coerulea

Rumex crispus Senecio jacobea Succisa pratensis TrifoIium repens

Conocephalum conicum 2dnium undulatum Polytrichum forrnosum

Species not ascribable to immediately adjacent habitats

Cerastium vulgatum Epilobium tetragonum

Lychnis flos-aquae Lysimachia nemorum Rubus fruticosus agg.

Sagina procumbens Salix caprea Senecio vulgaris Viola palustre Viola sp. Alopecurus pratensis Carex dioica oTuncus inflexus

COMPOSITION OF THE DESCHAMPSIA CESPITOSA COMMUNITY

PRig;SENT IN ALL SITES EXAMINED

Deschampsia cespitosa Rumex acetosella

PRESENT IN 6/7 None

PRESENT IN 5/7 None

PRESENT IN 4/7

Juncus effusus Cardamine flexuosa Agrostis tenuis Anthoxanthum odoratum

PRESENT IN 3/7 None

PRESENT IN 2/7

Cirsium arvense Cirsium paIua'tre Galium saxatile Po~.gonum tapathifolium Potentilla erecta Urtica dioica Carex hostiana Carex nigra Nardus stricta Poa pratensis

PRESENT IN I/7

Cerastium vulgatum Galium palustre Lotus corniculatu3 Polygonum minus Rumex crispus Scutellaria galericulata TriJblium repens Agrostis canina ssp. canina Alopecurus pratensis Deschampsia flexuosa Festuca ovina Phalaris arundinacea Polytrichum commune

Authorities for higher plant names as in CLAPHAM et al. (I962).

378 BRIAN MOSS

3. The community was not found in closed woodlands on other- wise suitable wet ground but arose on such ground wherever an opening in the tree canopy occurred (Lyme 3, Lyme io). Since shading prevented establishment of the community, grazing pressure from sheep, cattle, and red deer which variously graze the sites studied, may have been necessary to maintain the community. Planted trees, protected from grazing by fences, grow well in the area.

Little difference was found between marshes on shales, grits, alluvial and glacially deposited material. Base status was not mea- sured but in South Pembrokshire Juncus e~usus marshes fed by water draining through limestone soils had higher soil pH's and a flora richer in species than that .of the coal measure shales and grits. Slope, aspect and elevation of the land did not influence the composition of the Juncus e~usus marsh community to any great extent, provided that water supply was adequate. Thus, immediately around springs on steep slopes and in the courses of streams draining the high parts of Lyme Park, Juncus e~usus marshes were found. Similar slopes not fed by such water supplies had Festuca/Agrostis grassland, or, on the highest slopes, Molinia grassland.

C O M P O S I T I O N O F T H E M A R S H C O M M U N I T Y

The sites were visited several times throughout a year for a full species list of Angiosperms and Pteridophytes to be made. Bryo- phytes were not exhaustively listed. An association table was com- piled, and the frequency of occurrence of each species in the marshes was calculated. These data are presented as Table II.

In addition to Juncus effusus, Cardamineflexuosa was always present; Galium palustre, Holcus lanatus and Deschampsia cespitosa occurred in at least 8o °/o of the sites, and Stellaria alsine and Rumex acetosella in 6o--79 %. These species will be referred to as characteristic of the marshes.

Species found less frequently were usually also found in neigh- boring vegetation. Those occurring in 4o--6o °/o of sites may reflect modifications of the habitat not detected by this necessarily limited survey. For instance, Urtica dioica has been often found associated with places where sheep habitually shelter, making the locality relatively nitrogen rich with their droppings. The presence of Sphagnum spp. may indicate a local stagnation of water as in Goaty 3.

Of the infrequently occurring species, almost all were found in plant communities adjacent to the Juncus e~usus marshes, and are listed in Table II according to the adjacent communities in which they occurred. Their numerical abundance illustrates the extent to which plant communities integrade with one another, and the value


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o',,o o o o 7 " o / 5 o o o o @ '

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I Juncus effusus ~ Notdus/Fest/Agr, " ~ levee

Deschompsia cespitosa ~ Erubra/Poo/A,ten.

Fest. ovina/Agr tenuis . . . . . . . field drains .4 &' Transect ( f ig2)

Fig. I. Topographical & vegetation map of the valley. The various plant communities are indicated by their most prominent members.

of investigating a large number of sites in determining plant associations.

Where Deschampsia cespitosa occurred within the body of the marshes studied, it always formed its large elevated tussocks on relatively dry ground, and in some cases was found fringing the Juncus e~usus marsh. Sites where such a fringe was found are separ- ately listed in Table I. Examination of the flora lists of these sites showed that Rumex acetosella was consistently present. No species was found frequently in these fringes, which was not also equally frequent in the Juncus e~usus marsh. Where distinct Deschampsia cespitosa fringes occurred there was always a gentle slope from the surrounds into the marsh, D. cespitosa colonizing the intermediate region between the relatively well drained surround and the Juncus e~usus, among which water tended to collect. In very wet sites (e.g. Lyme 4) D. cespitosa occurred either at the edge or as elevated tussocks. In steep sided valleys an extensive D. cespitosa fringe was not found, the sides being too well drained and the valley basin too wet.

380 BRIAN MOSS

T H E V E G E T A T I O N O F A P A R T O F T H E V A L L E Y O F T H E B O L L I N H U R S T B R O O K I N L Y M E P A R K

The area described is shown in Fig. I. I t consisted of the part of valley between the filtration works below the upstream reservoirs, and the main Lyme Park drive about 477 m downstream of the reservoir dam (National Grid Reference SJ 96684o). The brook flow's north westwards and the north side of the valley, which is pastured, was not studied. Lower coal measure shales outcrop on the slopes of Cage hill which borders the South side of the valley. The area studied will be referred to as "the valley".

G E O M O R P H O L O G Y O F T H E V A L L E Y

The valley is flat-bottomed and the stream meanders. South of the stream the valley is floored with a heavy, uniform grey clay, largely uncontaminated by organic matter, except towards the surface. The clay contains no pebbles or other coarse material. It is likely that it was deposited under lacustrine conditions. In the latter part of the Ice Age ice is known to have been banked against the western margin of the Pennines, and a series of ice- dammed lakes was formed (EDWARDS 8Z; TROTTER, 1954). JACKSON (196o) mentions glacial overflow channels present near Lyme Hall and Disley. These drained an ice-dammed lake which extended over the sites of Chapel en le Frith, Chinley, and New Mills. The valley appears to have been such a channel, in which a temporary dam, somewhere downstream caused stagnation of the water.

Bordering the brook on its south side is a raised bank, up to four meters above the present stream level on one side and up to about 2 meters higher than the valley floor on the other. In this bank were found rounded and irregular pebbles of quartz, gritstone and other rocks foreign to the immediate locality. The bank is being eroded by the present brook, and is not uniformly high. It is probably a flood bank or levee. As glacial melt water flowed through the valley much of the rock debris it carried was dropped on the north side of the original brook as it turned into this part of its course. Unsorted rock fragments were also found on the north side of the stream. As the water was deflected north westwards and water flooded out across the valley, the remaining coarse debris was dropped close to the stream, to tbrm the present levee, whilst finer matter sedimented out to form the grey clay when the water flooded over, and stagnat- ed in the remainder of the valley. Grey clay has been found as a thin band in soils on the south slope of the valley. From surveying and examination of soil profiles a minimal estimate of the maximum water depth in the valley when the clay was being deposited is 14 m, and of the clay depth, three or four meters. The latter estimate is

P L A N T COMMUNITIES IN N O R T H EAST CHESHIRE 3 8 1

Transect profile

A B

Agrostis tenuls

Festuce ovina

Deschampsm cespitosa

duncus effusus

Poa pratensis

,o ~o 41° 4~jo ~e're~il ~?_ 7to 8Lo 91o F oo l Jo irzo -

_ . I I $1. L31_

Festuca rubra

Galium sexahIe

Holcue lanatus • . L

Carex nigra

Rumex acetosetla Antkoxant hum od'm _ Cerashum vulgaturr Nardus s~ricta

Carex ovalJ$ Equisetum poiustr~

Alapecurus pratens'., Cardam~ne flexuosc Poa tnvJah$

Epilobium palustre Carex host lana RanuncuJus acris Stellarm alstne l Glycerie dechnata .

Trifolium repens iO bulk units ! ) Potenhlla erecta Luzula campestns [ trace

Dadyhs g omerata

~m ~ -~ ~ .. . ..mlmm " ~ mm. ~ m._

= J L _ m L

__ .Ira

. l - L

I k

J • m

Fig. 2. Belt transect from Festuca/Agrostis grassland, through area A to levee. Bryophytes are not included. Each species was estimated on a bulk basis, a maximum of Io bulk units in each metre quadrat being divided between the various species. Quadrats between ten and twenty and forty-five and sixty metres from the start of the transect were not assessed as their vegetation was uniform

with the adjacent five metres on each side.

b a s e d o n the p o s i t i o n o f t h e lowes t i d e n t i f i a b l e c l a y in t h e s t r e a m b a n k soil prof i les w h e r e s t r e a m e ros ion has e x p o s e d the c lay . G r e y c l a y was n o t f o u n d in s t r e a m b a n k prof i les 137 m s o u t h o f t h e v a l l e y a n d i ts d e p o s i t i o n a p p e a r s to h a v e b e e n v e r y loca l . T h e effect o f

382 BRIAN MOSS

the clay in forming an impervious floor to the valley and the formation of a shallow basin by the levee have been major factors in influencing the vegetation of the valley.

D R A I N A G E

Water drains northwards from the slopes of Cage hilt into the basin and also arises from springs in the shales at the heads of marsh areas C. F., and G. (Fig. I). Natural outflows of water to the brook lead from areas A and C to low points in the levee. Artificial drains have been constructed, but the area is far from being drained in an agricultural sense, however. The southeast end of the valley is very wet and is colonized by areas of Juncus effusus marsh, tHnged by extensive areas of Deschampsia cespitosa. The downstream end of the valley, although floored by clays, is covered with Festuca rubra/Agrostis grassland with much Nardus stricta. This part of the valley drains only a small fraction of the hillside, most of the water from Cage hill draining into areas A, B and C or to the west of the hill. The downstream part of the valley is thus relatively dry.

V E G E T A T I O N P A T T E R N

The pattern of Juncus effusus and Deschampsia cespitosa (Fig. i) is explicable in terms of slight differences in drainage. Fig. 2, a belt transect through area A illustrates the main drainage/vegetation features. On a slope of about 26 cm/m was found Festuca ovina/ Agrostis tenuis grassland. As the slope decreased to about 6 cm/m the D. cespitosa fringe was well marked, and drainage water ultimate- ly collected in the basin, where J. effusus, area A, was found. On the stream side of area A, water drained southwards from the levee, which, with a slope of 4--5 cm/m was covered with Festuca rubra/ Agrostis tenuis grassland, with a narrow D. cespitosa fringe bordering area A on this side. The slope bearing Festuca/Agrostis grassland on the levee was much less than that bearing Festuca/Agrostis grassland on the south slope of the valley, where slopes of 4--5 cm/m bore D. cespitosa. However, owing to their much smaller catchment area, the levee slopes were not as wet as similar slopes on the south side, and were not sufficiently wet to maintain D. cespitosa.

Areas G and B and C received water from springs in the hillside. An elevated mound near the head of area C was covered with Festuca/Agrostis grassland. Areas G, B, and C lay along axes per- pendicular to the valley axis in slight depressions, possibly originated by the erosive action of run-off streams on the exposed clay, before a cover of vegetation was established. The artificial drains may have

PLANT COMMUNITIES I N NORTH EAST CHESHIRE ~8~

cm 0]

4O

t 8O

t00

0 -

2 0 -

4 0 -

6 0 -

8 '0-

I00

0 -

20-

40-

60 -

8 0 -

l O 0 -

Festuca ovina/Agrostis tenuis on hillside

AIB~ / ~ A. Black, amorphous slyly

A/B. Brown w#h orange

B T/ I f . . / ] loamm°t/I°sCrumblYR 39 slyly

1</SA<I Sandy olayl< m w,,h

C [ ~ / ~ / ¢ . ~ . j C S h a l e

Water table more than 76 cm be/ow surface.

Cg

Fes fu ca rubra/A.tenuis on stream bank

I

,4 Dark brown

C G/eyed grey clay

Underlying mater/b/- a/luv/i/m with pebbles

Festuca rubra/A, fenuis on levee

t (B) C

t k

Cg

/ / ~ x t $ i / / I

,4Dark brown, much organic molter

(B] Orange, m/hera/, with/Vli//stone grit fragments. Grading into C

C. Gray clay wi/h red streaks.

Underlying shdle

iErubroAqordus siricto/&, tenuis in ~ / /7 / / / . i downstream part of

Volley.

Cg G/eyed grey clay

L- J

Deschampsia cespitosa tussocky marsh

Tassock (above ground/eve/ leaf bases÷roots grading into ve/y organic silty clay loam PH4,8 (B)g.Block, easily deformabZ, orumbs up to 2ram d/am. earthworms presenL Orgon/b silty cloy loam {Bdg/Cg Wet amorphous ! purple -brown si/ly clay loam] P 3.9

Cg. Undorm grey cloy J Water table at 32cm (52 -

cmbelow tussock suture/7

Juncus effusus marsh L[ . . . . . . .

g Ground water gley Uniform grey cloy PH 4-8

Water table at 5 cm.

Fig. 3- Representative soil profiles from vegetation types in the valley.

caused fragmentation of previous large areas of J. effusus marsh into smaller patches, such as the G-B group, and area F may have extended well onto the valley floor before a drain was put in at the side of area C.

Descharnpsia cespitosa fringe completely surrounded area B and the valley floor sides of area C. Area B appears now to have no natural drainage outlet but it may originally have drained into

384 BRIAN MOSS

area A. With artificial drainage, slightly drier conditions have prevailed between areas A and B and D. cespitosa has colonized, as it has between areas B and C. Between areas B and C the levee is not very high and its action in preventing water from the valley draining into the brook is minimal. Conditions in these regions were not sufficiently wet for establishment of Juncus effusus marsh, but were sufficiently wet for D. cespitosa.

By carefhl surveying it was shown that the D. cespitosa community between areas A and B and B and C was elevated by up to 7 ° cm above the adjacent j . e~usus marshes. This may be related to the formation of depressions by original run-off streams, or it may have resulted from the growth form of D. cespitosa in this habitat. This is considered below.

SOILS

The soils of the valley were derived from weathered shale in the case of the Festuca ovina/Agrostis tenuis grassland on the hillsides, and from grey clay in the cases of the D. cespitosa and J. effusus communities. Typical examples of these are shown in Fig. 3. Terminol- ogy is as in BURNHAM & MACKNEY (1964). Levee profiles showed the presence of rounded pebbles and other unsorted material. In places on the levee an iron pan was found to be developing about io cm below the surface. The lower horizons of the levee profiles were frequently gleyed, suggesting imperfect drainage. This may" be the factor responsible for the replacement of F. ovina by F. rubra on the levee.

Soil from under the Nardus stricta/Festuca rubra/Agrostis grassland in the north-west of the valley was derived from grey clay and is intermediate in structure between the brown earths of the Festuca ovina/Agrostis grassland and the marsh soils.

The soils underlying the D. cespitosa community were complex. The old shoot bases of D. cespitosa formed tussocks, up to 4 ° cm high and at least as wide. The top half of the tussock below the level of the green shoots consisted of the previous 2 - -4 years' shoots in an early state of humification. These graded into a less fibrous, black and humified lower part of the tussock into which mineral matter had been introduced by plentiful earthworm activity. The continual building up of tussocks, the death after a period, of the grass, and its probable reseeding between the tussocks may help to keep the community elevated above the j . effusus areas, thus main- taining relatively better drainage. Festuca rubra and Holcus lanatus were observed invading old D. cespitosa tussocks. A very humified soil containing dead bases of D. cespitosa was found under the Poa pratense/Festuca rubra sward growing between the present D. cespitosa tussocks.


The soils under J. effusus were structurally simple. A layer of fibrous remains lay on the surface but this layer rapidly graded into an organic-stained clay mud which was shown, on washing, to be grey clay. Orange mottles in the clay, as in that under D. cespitosa indicated gleying by a fluctuating water table. The water table under J. effusus was always at or just below the surface, whereas it lays at a depth of 4o--6o cm below ground level in D. cespitosa areas. I t was not reached by auger borings in the Festuca/ Agrostis grassland. Soil samples were taken from the top 3 cm of the major soil types after removal of the litter layer. The mean soil water contents of the soils from the Festuca/Agrostis grassland, the D. cespitosa community, and j . effusus marshes were 32.5 %, 53.6 %, and 69 % respectively. The respective percentage losses on ignition of air dried soil were 2o %, 58.3 %, and 57 %.

V E G E T A T I O N A L H I S T O R Y OF T H E VALLEY

It is likely that from the end of the glaciation to the Middle Ages, the valley was wooded, as most of the surrounding area is believed to have been. Old maps show the area as forest but are on such a small scale that an area as small as the valley would not receive detailed treatment. The word "Lyme" denotes a forest on the bor- der of a county and the presence of Oxalis acetosella and Dryopteris sp. in some of the valley marshes may indicate previously wooded conditions. The impeded drainage suggests that Alnus glutinosa may have been the predominant tree. A few aider trees are present in the valley at the present time together with other species which may have been planted. The grazing pressure of red deer and sheep when the area became an estate of the Legh family probably prevented regeneration of trees and resulted in the present predomi- nantly monocotyledonous vegetation.

REFERENCES

BURNHAM, C. P. ~¢ MACKNEY, D. 1964 -- Soils of Shropshire. Field Studies 2 (I): 83--113 .

CEAPHAM, A. R., TUT~N, T. G. & WARBURG, E. F. 1962 -- Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 2nd. Ed. 1269 pp.

EDWARDS, K. C., SWINNERTON, H. H. & HALL, R. E. I962 -- The Peak District. Collins. London 24 ° pp.

EDWARDS, W. ~:: TROTTER~ F. M. I954 -- The Pennines and adjacent areas. (Bull. Geol. Survey) 3rd. Edn. 86 pp. London H.M.S.O.

JACKSON, J . W. 196o -- Geological structure and scenery in the Peak District. In National Park Guide No. 3- The Peak District National Park, H.M.S.O. London.

Documents

Plant communities of wet ground in North East Cheshire, England