Latitudinal limits to the predicted increase of the peatland carbon sink with warming

Gallego‐Sala, Angela; Charman, Dan J.; Brewer, Simon; Page, Susan; Prentice, Iain Colin; Friedlingstein, Pierre; Moreton, Steven G.; Amesbury, Matthew J.; Beilman, David W.; Björck, Svante; Blyakharchuk, Tatiana; Bochicchio, Christopher; Booth, Robert K.; Bunbury, Joan; Camill, Philip; Carless, Donna; Chimner, Rodney A.; Clifford, Michael J.; Cressey, Elizabeth L.; Mustaphi, Colin J. Courtney; Vleeschouwer, François De; Jong, Rixt de; Fiałkiewicz-Kozieł, Barbara; Finkelstein, Sarah A.; Garneau, Michelle; Githumbi, Esther; Hribjlan, John; Holmquist, James R.; Hughes, Paul; Jones, Chris D.; Jones, Miriam C.; Karofeld, Edgar; Klein, E. S.; Kokfelt, Ulla; Korhola, Atte; Lacourse, Terri; Roux, Gaël Le; Lamentowicz, Mariusz; Large, David J.; Lavoie, Martin; Loisel, Julie; Mackay, Helen M. M.; MacDonald, Glen; Mäkilä, M.; Magnan, Gabriel; Marchant, Robert; Marcisz, Katarzyna; Cortizas, Antonio Martínez; Massa, Charly; Mathijssen, Paul; Mauquoy, D.S.; Mighall, Tim; Mitchell, Fraser; Moss, Patrick; Nichols, J. E.; Oksanen, Pirita; Orme, Lisa C.; Packalen, Maara S.; Robinson, Stephen D.; Roland, Thomas P.; Sanderson, Nicole; Sannel, A. Britta K.; Sánchez, Noemí; Steinberg, Natascha; Swindles, Graeme T.; Turner, T. Edward; Uglow, Joanna; Väliranta, Minna; Bellen, Simon van; Linden, M. van der; Geel, B. van; Wang, Guoping; Yu, Zicheng; Zaragoza‐Castells, Joana; Zhao, Yan

doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0271-1

Cited by 940 publications

(219 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…This result counters the often implicit assumption that peatlands might turn into a C source instead of C sink under climate warming due to lower Sphagnum productivity (Nijp et al, ; Wu & Roulet, ; Zhao, Peichl, Öquist, & Nilsson, ). It rather corroborates the most recent model simulation and experiment of the peatland C sink with warming (Gallego‐Sala et al, ; Laine et al, ). While our results are reassuring in showing that the natural peatland C sink may remain in future, none of the potential changes in vascular plant performance have been taken into account (Gavazov et al, ; McPartland et al, ; Rastogi et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Effects of climate warming on Sphagnum photosynthesis in peatlands depend on peat moisture and species‐specific anatomical traits

Jassey

Signarbieux

2019

Global Change Biology

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Climate change will influence plant photosynthesis by altering patterns of temperature and precipitation, including their variability and seasonality. Both effects may be important for peatlands as the carbon (C) sink potential of these ecosystems depends on the balance between plant C uptake through photosynthesis and microbial decomposition. Here, we show that the effect of climate warming on Sphagnum community photosynthesis toggles from positive to negative as the peatland goes from rainy to dry periods during summer. More particularly, we show that mechanisms of compensation among the dominant Sphagnum species (Sphagnum fallax and Sphagnum medium) stabilize the average photosynthesis and productivity of the Sphagnum community during summer despite rising temperatures and frequent droughts. While warming had a negligible effect on S. medium photosynthetic capacity (Amax) during rainy periods, Amax of S. fallax increased by 40%. On the opposite, warming exacerbated the negative effects of droughts on S. fallax with an even sharper decrease of its Amax while S. medium Amax remained unchanged. S. medium showed a remarkable resistance to droughts due to anatomical traits favouring its water holding capacity. Our results show that different phenotypic plasticity among dominant Sphagnum species allow the community to cope with rising temperatures and repeated droughts, maintaining similar photosynthesis and productivity over summer in warmed and control conditions. These results are important because they provide information on how soil water content may modulate the effects of climate warming on Sphagnum productivity in boreal peatlands. It further confirms the transitory nature of warming‐induced photosynthesis benefits in boreal systems and highlights the vulnerability of the ecosystem to excess warming and drying.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Effects of climate warming on Sphagnum photosynthesis in peatlands depend on peat moisture and species‐specific anatomical traits

Jassey

Signarbieux

2019

Global Change Biology

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“…Under 21st century warming and in the presence of adequate moisture, Arctic wetlands such as our study sites may become more productive and transition into peatlands—this could to some extent mitigate carbon losses from degrading peatlands farther south (Charman et al, ; Gallego‐Sala et al, ). The Arctic wetlands we studied did demonstrate ecological responses to a mid‐twentieth century increase in GDD 0 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Permafrost soils in general could become carbon sources with warming through greater aerobic (CO 2 ) and anaerobic (CH 4 ) decomposition rates (Natali et al, ; Schuur et al, ). However, longer, warmer growing seasons and changes in Arctic precipitation regimes (Bintanja & Selten, ; Kattsov et al, ; Kopec et al, ) may stimulate carbon capture through enhanced plant productivity in peatlands and the transition of minerotrophic wetlands into organic peatlands (Charman et al, , ; Gallego‐Sala et al, ; Morris et al, ). Recent evidence shows an inconsistent response of Arctic and sub‐Arctic peatlands to warming in terms of carbon accumulation (Zhang, Gallego‐Sala, et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways for Ecological Change in Canadian High Arctic Wetlands Under Rapid Twentieth Century Warming

Sim

Swindles

Morris

et al. 2019

Geophysical Research Letters

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We use paleoecological techniques to investigate how Canadian High Arctic wetlands responded to a mid‐twentieth century increase in growing degree days. We observe an increase in wetness, moss diversity, and carbon accumulation in a polygon mire trough, likely related to ice wedge thaw. Contrastingly, the raised center of the polygon mire showed no clear response. Wet and dry indicator testate amoebae increased concomitantly in a valley fen, possibly relating to greater inundation from snowmelt followed by increasing evapotranspiration. This occurred alongside the appearance of generalist hummock mosses. A coastal fen underwent a shift from sedge to shrub dominance. The valley and coastal fens transitioned from minerogenic to organic‐rich wetlands prior to the growing degree days increase. A subsequent shift to moss dominance in the coastal fen may relate to intensive grazing from Arctic geese. Our findings highlight the complex response of Arctic wetlands to warming and have implications for understanding their future carbon sink potential.

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“…Regardless of compensatory responses in NPP, however, peat accumulation generally declines as the fraction of productivity from moss declines (Frolking et al, ), so loss of Sphagnum could accelerate the reversal from carbon sink to source. Peatlands have been accumulating C for millennia because annual productivity exceeds annual decomposition, but modeling studies suggest that climatic warming will reverse this balance and become a positive feedback to the atmosphere by the end of the century (Gallego‐Sala et al, ). Shrubs and other vascular plants may determine tipping point between sink and source in peatlands, but the response of Sphagnum to warming will be a critical component of the integrated ecosystem response.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid loss of an ecosystem engineer: Sphagnum decline in an experimentally warmed bog

Norby

Childs

Hanson

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

105

154

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Sphagnum mosses are keystone components of peatland ecosystems. They facilitate the accumulation of carbon in peat deposits, but climate change is predicted to expose peatland ecosystem to sustained and unprecedented warming leading to a significant release of carbon to the atmosphere. Sphagnum responses to climate change, and their interaction with other components of the ecosystem, will determine the future trajectory of carbon fluxes in peatlands. We measured the growth and productivity of Sphagnum in an ombrotrophic bog in northern Minnesota, where ten 12.8‐m‐diameter plots were exposed to a range of whole‐ecosystem (air and soil) warming treatments (+0 to +9°C) in ambient or elevated (+500 ppm) CO2. The experiment is unique in its spatial and temporal scale, a focus on response surface analysis encompassing the range of elevated temperature predicted to occur this century, and consideration of an effect of co‐occurring CO2 altering the temperature response surface. In the second year of warming, dry matter increment of Sphagnum increased with modest warming to a maximum at 5°C above ambient and decreased with additional warming. Sphagnum cover declined from close to 100% of the ground area to <50% in the warmest enclosures. After three years of warming, annual Sphagnum productivity declined linearly with increasing temperature (13–29 g C/m2 per °C warming) due to widespread desiccation and loss of Sphagnum. Productivity was less in elevated CO2 enclosures, which we attribute to increased shading by shrubs. Sphagnum desiccation and growth responses were associated with the effects of warming on hydrology. The rapid decline of the Sphagnum community with sustained warming, which appears to be irreversible, can be expected to have many follow‐on consequences to the structure and function of this and similar ecosystems, with significant feedbacks to the global carbon cycle and climate change.

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Latitudinal limits to the predicted increase of the peatland carbon sink with warming

Cited by 940 publications

References 37 publications

Effects of climate warming on Sphagnum photosynthesis in peatlands depend on peat moisture and species‐specific anatomical traits

Effects of climate warming on Sphagnum photosynthesis in peatlands depend on peat moisture and species‐specific anatomical traits

Pathways for Ecological Change in Canadian High Arctic Wetlands Under Rapid Twentieth Century Warming

Rapid loss of an ecosystem engineer: Sphagnum decline in an experimentally warmed bog

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