(1) Nutrient compartmentation was studied at two semi-permanent grassland sites. One site was 1 year more advanced in successional terms than the other. (2) Changing amounts of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Mn and Zn in aboveand below-ground plant components were measured over an 18 month period at both sites. (3) In the first season following cessation of mowing and grazing, a large investment in aboveand below-ground components was followed by a decline and subsequent accumulation of nutrients in litter. (4) The blockage of nutrients in large surface accumulations of litter limited the efficiency of nutrient cycling. Release of nutrients from the litter in the second year was exploited by forbs, although Ca, Mg and Zn tended to be retained in the litter. (5) Less than 6% of total ecosystem nutrients entered the vegetation, except for Ca and Zn which showed much higher values. It is concluded that nutrients are poorly exploited or conserved in grassland meadows.
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N. M. Dickison (1984) studied this question.