Decreased summer water table depth affects peatland vegetation

Breeuwer, Angela; Robroek, Bjorn J. M.; Limpens, Juul; Heijmans, M.M.P.D.; Schouten, M.G.C.; Berendse, F.

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2008.05.005

Cited by 140 publications

(129 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…A persistent change in the WT affects plant community structure (Weltzin et al, 2000(Weltzin et al, , 2003Robroek et al, 2007;Breeuwer et al, 2009), and eventually can lead to a complete turnover of species adapted to the new conditions (Laine et al, 1995a). Such changes tend to be more pronounced in nutrient-rich sites and intensify over time (Laine et al, 1995a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Litter type affects the activity of aerobic decomposers in a boreal peatland more than site nutrient and water table regimes

et al. 2011

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Abstract. Peatlands are carbon (C) storage ecosystems sustained by a high water table (WT). High WT creates anoxic conditions that suppress the activity of aerobic decomposers and provide conditions for peat accumulation. Peatland function can be dramatically affected by WT drawdown caused by climate and/or land-use change. Aerobic decomposers are directly affected by WT drawdown through environmental factors such as increased oxygenation and nutrient availability. Additionally, they are indirectly affected via changes in plant community composition and litter quality. We studied the relative importance of direct and indirect effects of WT drawdown on aerobic decomposer activity in plant litter at two stages of decomposition (incubated in the field for 1 or 2 years). We did this by profiling 11 extracellular enzymes involved in the mineralization of organic C, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulphur. Our study sites represented a three-stage chronosequence from pristine to shortterm (years) and long-term (decades) WT drawdown conditions under two nutrient regimes (bog and fen). The litter types included reflected the prevalent vegetation: Sphagnum mosses, graminoids, shrubs and trees.Litter type was the main factor shaping microbial activity patterns and explained about 30 % of the variation in enzyme activities and activity allocation. Overall, enzyme activities were higher in vascular plant litters compared to Sphagnum litters, and the allocation of enzyme activities towards C or nutrient acquisition was related to the initial litter quality Correspondence to: P. Straková (petra.strakova@helsinki.fi) (chemical composition). Direct effects of WT regime, site nutrient regime and litter decomposition stage (length of incubation period) summed to only about 40 % of the litter type effect. WT regime alone explained about 5 % of the variation in enzyme activities and activity allocation. Generally, enzyme activity increased following the long-term WT drawdown and the activity allocation turned from P and N acquisition towards C acquisition. This caused an increase in the rate of litter decomposition. The effects of the shortterm WT drawdown were minor compared to those of the long-term WT drawdown: e.g., the increase in the activity of C-acquiring enzymes was up to 120 % (bog) or 320 % (fen) higher after the long-term WT drawdown compared to the short-term WT drawdown. In general, the patterns of microbial activity as well as their responses to WT drawdown depended on peatland type: e.g., the shift in activity allocation to C-acquisition was up to 100 % stronger at the fen compared to the bog.Our results imply that changes in plant community composition in response to persistent WT drawdown will strongly affect the C dynamics of peatlands. The predictions of decomposer activity under changing climate and/or land-use thus cannot be based on the direct effects of the changed environment only, but need to consider the indirect effects of environmental changes: the changes in plant community composition, their dependen...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Litter type affects the activity of aerobic decomposers in a boreal peatland more than site nutrient and water table regimes

et al. 2011

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“…Direct impacts of climatic change on fuel loads should also be investigated. This includes the potential increase in tree growth with the lengthening of the growing season [91,92] or decomposition [93]. However, the particularly high organic layer thickness and high soil moisture content may prevent such impacts by limiting tree growth and decomposition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Fuel Load Dynamics on Carbon Emission by Wildfires in the Clay Belt Boreal Landscape

Terrier

Paquette

Gauthier

et al. 2016

Forests

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Old-growth forests play a decisive role in preserving biodiversity and ecological functions. In an environment frequently disturbed by fire, the importance of old-growth forests as both a carbon stock as well as a source of emissions when burnt is not fully understood. Here, we report on carbon accumulation with time since the last fire (TSF) in the dominant forest types of the Clay Belt region in eastern North America. To do so, we performed a fuel inventory (tree biomass, herbs and shrubs, dead woody debris, and duff loads) along four chronosequences. Carbon emissions by fire through successional stages were simulated using the Canadian Fire Effects Model. Our results show that fuel accumulates with TSF, especially in coniferous forests. Potential carbon emissions were on average 11.9 t·ha −1 and 29.5 t·ha −1 for old-growth and young forests, respectively. In conclusion, maintaining old-growth forests in the Clay Belt landscape not only ensures a sustainable management of the boreal forest, but it also optimizes the carbon storage.

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“…But-depending on the Sphagnum species present and the degree of peat decomposition-capillary rise is only efficient in this regard if water tables are not lower than 0.5 m below the land surface (Clymo 1984). Thus, long-lasting drought may damage the vitality of Sphagnum mosses (Gerdol et al 1996;Bragazza 2008;Breeuwer et al 2009;Robroek et al 2009). …”

Section: Climatic Impacts On Biotic Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Impacts—Terrestrial Ecosystems

Hölzel

Hickler

Kutzbach

et al. 2016

North Sea Region Climate Change Assessment

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The chapter starts with a discussion of general patterns and processes in terrestrial ecosystems, including the impacts of climate change in relation to productivity, phenology, trophic matches and mismatches, range shifts and biodiversity. Climate impacts on specific ecosystem types-forests, grasslands, heathlands, and mires and peatlands-are then discussed in detail. The chapter concludes by discussing links between changes in inland ecosystems and the wider North Sea system. Future climate change is likely to increase net primary productivity in the North Sea region due to warmer conditions and longer growing seasons, at least if summer precipitation does not decrease as strongly as projected in some of the more extreme climate scenarios. The effects of total carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems are highly uncertain, due to the inherent complexity of the processes involved. For moderate climate change, land use effects are often more important drivers of total ecosystem carbon accumulation than climate change. Across a wide range of organism groups, range expansions to higher latitudes and altitudes and changes in phenology have occurred in response to recent climate change. For the range expansions, some studies suggest substantial differences between organism groups. Habitat specialists with restricted ranges have generally responded very little or even shown range contractions. Many of already threatened species could be particularly vulnerable to climate change. Overall, effects of recent climate change on terrestrial ecosystems within the North Sea region are still limited.

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Decreased summer water table depth affects peatland vegetation

Cited by 140 publications

References 37 publications

Litter type affects the activity of aerobic decomposers in a boreal peatland more than site nutrient and water table regimes

Litter type affects the activity of aerobic decomposers in a boreal peatland more than site nutrient and water table regimes

Influence of Fuel Load Dynamics on Carbon Emission by Wildfires in the Clay Belt Boreal Landscape

Environmental Impacts—Terrestrial Ecosystems

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