Rapid change in forms of inorganic nitrogen in soil and moderate weed invasion following translocation of wet meadows to reclaimed post‐industrial land

Anthropogenic expansion and loss of natural environments calls for the more sustainable use of resources, including land. To combine the conservation of highly valuable meadow habitat with reclamation of post-industrial land, 1.3 ha of turf were translocated from an urban area to basins constructed near an abandoned quarry. In contrast to the usual method of choosing similar habitats as salvage sites, the selected quarry possessed different environmental properties to the meadows, challenging their acclimatisation. To evaluate the project, we monitored three meadows (Molinion caeruleae alliance) for three seasons: immediately before the transfer and for 2 years afterwards. We recorded vegetation composition in tandem with 27 physico-chemical properties of the soil. In the first year following translocation, enrichment of soil in total calcium, potassium, sodium, and sulphur was noted. The contents of available phosphorus, nitrogen, and magnesium, as well as soil pH, were lower in the second year. The domination of ammonia over nitrate, which is characteristic of wetlands, decreased markedly. Water holding capacity slowly decreased as well, suggesting humus decomposition. The plant communities maintained their high level of diversity, and the dominance of characteristic meadow species continued. However, an increase in the number of weeds was observed, along with the replacement of some meadow plant species by others. We conclude that if a receptor site does not resemble a habitat type of a donor site, the ecosystem becomes more human-dependent and requires site-specific aftercare. In this case, the active control of competitive and ruderal species invasion and moisture management is required.