During his PhD studies, Mathias Emil Kaae studied how nitrogen deposition, grazing and mowing affect the heathlands in Denmark. Nitrogen deposition had an adverse effect on heathland vegetation, especially near pig farms, where grasses displaced sensitive mosses and lichens. As a management technique, mowing is often used, but the results of this study show that if done annually, it will promote grasses instead of dwarf shrubs. A significant result from this project was that deer have a surprisingly positive effect, as deer manage to slow the decline of characteristic species on the heathlands.
The research results contributed to a better understanding of heathlands as an ecosystem and shed light on how we can manage them in the coming years.

The PhD study was completed at: Department of Ecoscience, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.

The PhD student prepared this summary.

Time: Monday, 13^th of May at 13:00
Place: Building 1110, room 223, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, C. F. Møllers Allé 8, 8000 Aarhus
Title of PhD thesis: Effects of nitrogen deposition on heathlands in Denmark
Contact information: Mathias Emil Kaae, e-mail: mek@ecos.au.dk, tel.: +45 42 40 05 68

Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Laurence Jones, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, United Kingdom

Professor Per Gundersen, Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management, Copenhagen University, Denmark

Professor Martin Holmstrup, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Denmark (Chair)

Main supervisor:
Professor Christian Frølund Damgaard, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Denmark

Co-supervisor:
Senior Advisor Jesper Leth Bak, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Denmark

Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS,

Jens Baggesens Vej 53, building 5221, 8200 Aarhus N.