Old field is a term used in ecology to describe lands formerly cultivated or grazed but later abandoned. The dominant flora include perennial grasses , heaths and herbaceous plants. Old fields are canonically defined as an intermediate stage found in ecological succession in an ecosystem advancing towards its climax community , a concept which has been debated by contemporary ecologists for some time.
14-423: (Redirected from Old Field ) Oldfield , old field , old fields or oldfields may refer to: Old fields [ edit ] Old field (ecology) , land previously cultivated but now abandoned Old field or Indian old field , abandoned Native American cultivated fields Places [ edit ] Oldfield, Missouri , United States Old Field, New York ,
28-490: A climax forest stand . Most old fields form as a result of agricultural land abandonment, the rate of which has been exponentially increasing, at a global scale, since the 1950s. Agricultural plots may be abandoned due to degraded nutrient levels in the soil following many growing seasons and/or crop rotations. In some cases, however, specifically in Europe during the late 1950s and early 1960's, farm lands were abandoned due to
42-581: A local level can provide valuable restoration insights on how plant communities in the same region may respond to other stressors. Soil quality Soil quality refers to the condition of soil based on its capacity to perform ecosystem services that meet the needs of human and non-human life. Soil quality reflects how well a soil performs the functions of maintaining biodiversity and productivity, partitioning water and solute flow, filtering and buffering, nutrient cycling , and providing support for plants and other structures. Soil management has
56-933: A major impact on soil quality. Soil quality relates to soil functions . Unlike water or air, for which established standards have been set, soil quality is difficult to define or quantify. Soil quality can be evaluated using the Soil Management Assessment Framework. Soil quality in agricultural terms is measured on a scale of soil value ( Bodenwertzahl ) in Germany . Soil quality is primarily measured by chemical, physical, and biological indicators because soil function cannot easily be measured directly. Each of these categories comprises several indicators that provide insight into overall soil quality. There are very few soil quality monitoring systems that can provide near real-time information on these indicators but almost all of these systems are currently reported only to
70-452: A new agriculture policy . The policy influenced farmers to abandon plots because they believed it made prices too high, was wasteful, and would lead to overproduction. Though the policy has changed over time, researchers believe it is still failing the EU in many ways and ultimately harming the ecology of farm lands. Once abandoned and left unaltered for a long time, and without crops to deplete
84-465: A plant genus in the family Picrodendraceae Oldfieldioideae, a former subfamily of Euphorbiaceae now regarded as a family, called Picrodendraceae Oldfield clover or hare's-foot clover, Trifolium arvense Oldfield mouse or beach mouse ( Peromyscus polionotus ), a North American species of rodent in the family Cricetidae Oldfield mouse, any of the South American species of rodent in
98-975: A village in Suffolk County, New York, United States Oldfield, Ontario , Canada Oldfield River , Western Australia Oldfields , a house and estate forming part of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana, United States Oldfields Ground , a former cricket ground in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England Oldfields, Virginia , an unincorporated community in Botetourt County, Virginia, United States Old Fields, West Virginia , an unincorporated community in Hardy County, West Virginia, United States Oldfield, West Yorkshire , England People [ edit ] Oldfield (name) , list of people called Oldfield Wildlife [ edit ] Oldfieldia ,
112-647: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Old field (ecology) Old field sites are often marginal lands with soil quality unsuitable for crops or pasture. Examples include abandoned farmlands in central Ontario , along the edge of the Canadian Shield . Stress tolerant species with wide seed dispersal ranges are able to colonize cultivated fields after their initial abandonment, usually followed by perennial grasses. The succession of old fields culminates in takeover by trees and shrubs, eventually leading to
126-561: The genus Thomasomys in the family Cricetidae Old-field toadflax, Nuttallanthus canadensis Schools [ edit ] Oldfield Boys' School , former boys' secondary school in Bath, England Oldfield School , coeducational secondary school in Bath, England Oldfields School , girls' boarding school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States Other [ edit ] 5656 Oldfield , an asteroid Topics referred to by
140-687: The research level. The physical category of soil quality indicators consists of tests that measure soil texture, bulk density, porosity, water content at saturation, aggregate stability, penetration resistance, and more. These measures provide hydrological information, such the level of water infiltration and water availability to plants. Chemical indicators include pH and nutrient levels. A typical soil test only evaluates chemical soil properties. Biological measures include diversity of soil organisms and fungi. The movement and biological functions of soil organisms (including earthworms, millipedes, centipedes, ants, and spiders) impact soil processes such as
154-452: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Oldfield . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oldfield&oldid=1026340909 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
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#1732854754084168-446: The soil has been shown to increase, which influences an increase in above ground plant biomass and vegetation cover. Because agricultural lands are being abandoned and more old fields are forming each year, studying the composition of organisms and succession dynamics within old fields could provide potentially valuable insights to ecological restoration . Researchers state that studying the mechanisms behind succession of old fields at
182-453: The soil of nutrients, old fields can slowly grow back into healthy communities via the process of ecological succession . Many studies have been conducted on old field succession, the process by which fields slowly grow back into forests over many years. While there are two types of succession, primary and secondary , secondary succession is what we think about when considering old fields. These processes may be cyclic or seral depending on
196-559: The system dynamics and community structure present. Cyclic succession occurs when species abundance is in a constant state of change, when there are continuous changes in community composition that result in the dominant species changing in a cyclical manner. Seral succession refers to a type of community structure where community succession follows a linear path from barren to a climax community. With succession, soil nutrient concentrations and community composition can vary greatly. As time passes after abandonment, nitrogen concentration in
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