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Eutrophication by human activities is increasingly affecting ecosystem functioning and plant community composition. So far, studies mainly focus on the effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition, surface water eutrophication or soil nutrient accumulation. Groundwater pollution of spring habitats, however, has received much less attention, although numerous papers report groundwater nutrient enrichment worldwide. This study presents a survey on groundwater pollution (with emphasis on nitrate and phosphate) and bryophyte composition in 51 ambient petrifying springs in 5 NW European countries, which were compared to published data from 173 other sites in 11 European countries.

The reviewed dataset covers a broad range of unpolluted to heavily polluted springs with nitrate concentrations between 0.7 and 3227 μmol l⁻¹. Most petrifying springs in the rural lowlands of NW Europe were found to have elevated …