An Investigation of the Biotic Factors Determining the Rates of Plant Decomposition on Blanket Bog

Coulson, J. C.; Butterfield, Jennifer

doi:10.2307/2259155

Cited by 236 publications

(160 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Therefore, relatively small yearly precipitation excess is needed for Sphagnum dominated bogs to maintain or Plant Ecol (2009) 200:53-68 57 decrease the distance between the bog surface and the water table. Moreover, Sphagnum litter decays slowly and is easily collapsible (Coulson and Butterfield 1978;Johnson and Damman 1993;Van Breemen 1995;Hobbie 1996), meaning that it stimulates the formation of peat with small porosity. This means that little water is needed for this low permeable peat to become waterlogged, so this characteristic of Sphagnum also promotes a higher water table (Van Breemen 1995).…”

Section: Water Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

Linking habitat modification to catastrophic shifts and vegetation patterns in bogs

et al. 2007

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Paleoecological studies indicate that peatland ecosystems may exhibit bistability. This would mean that these systems are resilient to gradual changes in climate, until environmental thresholds are passed. Then, ecosystem stability is lost and rapid shifts in surface and vegetation structure at landscape scale occur. Another remarkable feature is the commonly observed self-organized spatial vegetation patterning, such as string-flark and maze patterns. Bistability and spatial selforganization may be mechanistically linked, the crucial mechanism being scale-dependent (locally positive and longer-range negative) feedback between vegetation and the peatland environment. Focusing on bogs, a previous model study shows that nutrient accumulation by vascular plants can induce such scale-dependent feedback driving pattern formation. However, stability of bog microforms such as hummocks and hollows has been attributed to different local interactions between Sphagnum, vascular plants, and the bog environment. Here we analyze both local and longer-range interactions in bogs to investigate the possible contribution of these different interactions to vegetation patterning and stability. This is done by a literature review, and subsequently these findings are incorporated in the original model. When Sphagnum and encompassing local interactions are included in this model, the boundaries between vegetation types become sharper and also the parameter region of bistability drastically increases. These results imply that vegetation patterning and stability of bogs could be synergistically governed by local and longerrange interactions. Studying the relative effect of these interactions is therefore suggested to be an important component of future predictions on the response of peatland ecosystems to climatic changes.

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Section: Water Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

Linking habitat modification to catastrophic shifts and vegetation patterns in bogs

et al. 2007

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“…), which are responsible for the long-lasting accumulation of carbon in bogs, due to their low litter decomposition rates (Coulson and Butterfield 1978;Clymo and Hayward 1982;Limpens and Berendse 2003). The vascular plant cover in bogs is generally low and consists of ericoids, graminoids, and a few forbs (some of them carnivorous), that are adapted to the nutrient poor, wet, acidic, and partly anoxic conditions (Rydin and Jeglum 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apart from a direct effect, increased temperature can indirectly increase nutrient availability by enhancing decomposition and N-mineralization (Hobbie 1996;Rustad and others 2001). As Sphagnum litter decomposes much more slowly than vascular plant litter (Coulson and Butterfield 1978;Hobbie 1996;Dorrepaal and others 2005;Bragazza and others 2007), any shift in species composition will have a profound impact on the carbon sequestration function of bog ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field Simulation of Global Change: Transplanting Northern Bog Mesocosms Southward

et al. 2010

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A large proportion of northern peatlands consists of Sphagnum-dominated ombrotrophic bogs. In these bogs, peat mosses (Sphagnum) and vascular plants occur in an apparent stable equilibrium, thereby sustaining the carbon sink function of the bog ecosystem. How global warming and increased nitrogen (N) deposition will affect the species composition in bog vegetation is still unclear. We performed a transplantation experiment in which mesocosms with intact vegetation were transplanted southward from north Sweden to northeast Germany along a transect of four bog sites, in which both temperature and N deposition increased. In addition, we monitored undisturbed vegetation in control plots at the four sites of the latitudinal gradient. Four growing seasons after transplantation, ericaceous dwarf shrubs had become much more abundant when transplanted to the warmest site which also had highest N deposition. As a result ericoid aboveground biomass in the transplanted mesocosms increased most at the southernmost site, this site also had highest ericoid biomass in the undisturbed vegetation. The two dominant Sphagnum species showed opposing responses when transplanted southward; Sphagnum balticum height increment decreased, whereas S. fuscum height increment increased when transplanted southward. Sphagnum production did not differ significantly among the transplanted mesocosms, but was lowest in the southernmost control plots. The dwarf shrub expansion and increased N concentrations in plant tissues we observed, point in the direction of a positive feedback toward vascular plant-dominance suppressing peat-forming Sphagnum in the long term. However, our data also indicate that precipitation and phosphorus availability influence the competitive balance between Sphagnum, dwarf shrubs and graminoids.

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“…Fungi and bacteria are the most important decomposers in peatlands (Coulson and Butterfield, 1978;Bragazza et al, 2006). Initial rates of microbial decomposition are generally correlated with substrate N and P concentrations; it can thus be expected that microbial breakdown increases in the short-term if the nutrient limitation is reduced, leading to increased rates of CO 2 and CH 4 effluxes (Aerts and de Caluwe, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of N and P fertilization on the greenhouse gas exchange in two northern peatlands with contrasting N deposition rates

et al. 2009

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Abstract. Peatlands are important ecosystems in the context of biospheric feedback to climate change, due to the large storage of organic C in peatland soils. Nitrogen deposition and increased nutrient availability in soils following climate warming may cause changes in these ecosystems affecting greenhouse gas exchange. We have conducted an N and P fertilization experiment in two Swedish bogs subjected to high and low background N deposition, and measured the exchange of CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O using the closed chamber technique. During the second year of fertilization, both gross primary production and ecosystem respiration were significantly increased by N addition in the northernmost site where background N deposition is low, while gross primary production was stimulated by P addition in the southern high N deposition site. In addition, a short-term response in respiration was seen following fertilization in both sites, probably associated with rapid growth of nutrient-limited soil microorganisms. No treatment effect was seen on the CH 4 exchange, while N 2 O emission peaks were detected in N fertilized plots indicating the importance of taking N 2 O into consideration under increased N availability. In a longer term, increased nutrient availability will cause changes in plant composition, which will further act to regulate the peatland greenhouse gas exchange.

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An Investigation of the Biotic Factors Determining the Rates of Plant Decomposition on Blanket Bog

Cited by 236 publications

References 14 publications

Linking habitat modification to catastrophic shifts and vegetation patterns in bogs

Linking habitat modification to catastrophic shifts and vegetation patterns in bogs

Field Simulation of Global Change: Transplanting Northern Bog Mesocosms Southward

Effects of N and P fertilization on the greenhouse gas exchange in two northern peatlands with contrasting N deposition rates

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