ABSTRACT
Grassland and heathland provide opportunities for ecological research into population and community characteristics, ecosystem structure and function, the role of management and the effects of pollution. The effects of increased nitrogen inputs on grassland and heathland species can be investigated experimentally by growing plants in a range of conditions. For instance, different species could be grown under increasing levels of nitrogen fertiliser. Nitrogen levels could be selected to mimic levels of nitrogen fertiliser applied annually to -1 -1 improved grassland, or different levels of annual nitrogen deposition. The presence of heavy metals in substrates can influence the species composition of grassland communities, for example, OV37. Monitoring is an essential part of habitat management, and vegetation monitoring often forms the basis of habitat description. Most ecosystems that are not under intensive agricultural management, including heathlands and unimproved grasslands, have low supplies of nitrogen.
