The Biology of Peatlands

Rydin, Håkan; Jeglum, John K.

doi:10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199602995.001.0001

Cited by 483 publications

(509 citation statements)

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“…In 2007, the study site was rewetted via ditch blocking using dams built with plywood and using wooden stakes as bracing (Howie et al, 2009 (Fig. 2) as a consequence of reduced available energy and senescence of sedges was observed, which is similar to water table observations in other temperate wetlands (Lafleur et al, 2005;Rydin et al, 2013). The depth of peat at the study site is 5.83 m. A silty clay layer is located below the peat layer (Chestnutt, 2015).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 52%

Annual greenhouse gas budget for a bog ecosystem undergoing restoration by rewetting

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Many peatlands have been drained and harvested for peat mining, agriculture, and other purposes, which has turned them from carbon (C) sinks into C emitters. Rewetting of disturbed peatlands facilitates their ecological recovery and may help them revert to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sinks. However, rewetting may also cause substantial emissions of the more potent greenhouse gas (GHG) methane (CH 4 ). Our knowledge of the exchange of CO 2 and CH 4 following rewetting during restoration of disturbed peatlands is currently limited. This study quantifies annual fluxes of CO 2 and CH 4 in a disturbed and rewetted area located in the Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area in Delta, BC, Canada. Burns Bog is recognized as the largest raised bog ecosystem on North America's west coast. Burns Bog was substantially reduced in size and degraded by peat mining and agriculture. Since 2005, the bog has been declared a conservancy area, with restoration efforts focusing on rewetting disturbed ecosystems to recover Sphagnum and suppress fires. Using the eddy covariance (EC) technique, we measured year-round (16 June 2015 to 15 June 2016) turbulent fluxes of CO 2 and CH 4 from a tower platform in an area rewetted for the last 8 years. The study area, dominated by sedges and Sphagnum, experienced a varying water table position that ranged between 7.7 (inundation) and −26.5 cm from the surface during the study year. The annual CO 2 budget of the rewetted area was −179 ± 26.2 g CO 2 -C m −2 yr −1 (CO 2 sink) and the annual CH 4 budget was 17 ± 1.0 g CH 4 -C m −2 yr −1 (CH 4 source). Gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) exceeded ecosystem respiration (R e ) during summer months (June-August), causing a net CO 2 uptake. In summer, high CH 4 emissions (121 mg CH 4 -C m −2 day −1 ) were measured. In winter (December-February), while roughly equal magnitudes of GEP and R e made the study area CO 2 neutral, very low CH 4 emissions (9 mg CH 4 -C m −2 day −1 ) were observed. The key environmental factors controlling the seasonality of these exchanges were downwelling photosynthetically active radiation and 5 cm soil temperature. It appears that the high water table caused by ditch blocking suppressed R e . With low temperatures in winter, CH 4 emissions were more suppressed than R e . Annual net GHG flux from CO 2 and CH 4 expressed in terms of CO 2 equivalents (CO 2 eq.) during the study period totalled −22 ± 103.1 g CO 2 eq. m −2 yr −1 (net CO 2 eq. sink) and 1248 ± 147.6 g CO 2 eq. m −2 yr −1 (net CO 2 eq. source) by using 100-and 20-year global warming potential values, respectively. Consequently, the ecosystem was almost CO 2 eq. neutral during the study period expressed on a 100-year time horizon but was a significant CO 2 eq. source on a 20-year time horizon.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 52%

Annual greenhouse gas budget for a bog ecosystem undergoing restoration by rewetting

et al. 2017

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“…in bound sphagnan (Richter and Dainty 1989). We determined the CEC as the amount of exchangeable *Hummock -raised element with dwarf-shrubs; Lawn -firm moss mat with sedges; Carpet -soft moss mat with only little vascular plants (Rydin and Jeglum 2013) was exchanged after 4 min and the pH was increased to 7.0 using ammonia solution. Then we thoroughly washed the bags with deionised water (six times for 10 min) to remove free ammonium ions.…”

Section: Sphagnanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is largely due to anoxia in the waterlogged habitat and the litter quality of the species that occupy these peatlands. Bryophytes, mainly from the genus Sphagnum, make up around 45% of the peat in boreal peatlands (Turetsky 2003) and are the organisms creating and maintaining many of these ecosystems, particularly bogs (Rydin and Jeglum 2013). Bogs are composed of meters-thick layers of peat accumulated during thousands of years; the low hydraulic conductivity of peat facilitates the creation of waterlogged, anoxic habitats.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bogs are composed of meters-thick layers of peat accumulated during thousands of years; the low hydraulic conductivity of peat facilitates the creation of waterlogged, anoxic habitats. Anoxia is particularly linked to the lower peat layers (the permanently water-logged catotelm), while the acrotelm is intermittently oxic (Morris et al 2011;Rydin and Jeglum 2013). Decay resistance of dead plants differ for different growth forms (Dorrepaal 2005), but also between different species of Sphagnum (Turetsky et al 2008;Hájek 2009;Bengtsson et al 2016a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biochemical determinants of litter quality in 15 species of Sphagnum

2018

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Background and aims Sphagnum mosses are ecosystem engineers that create and maintain boreal peatlands. With unique biochemistry, waterlogging and acidifying capacities, they build up meters-thick layers of peat, reducing competition and impeding decomposition. We quantify within-genus differences in biochemical composition to make inferences about decay rates, related to hummock-hollow and fen-bog gradients and to phylogeny. Methods We sampled litter from 15 Sphagnum species, abundant over the whole northern hemisphere. We used regression and Principal Components Analysis (PCA) to evaluate general relationships between litter quality parameters and decay rates measured under laboratory and field conditions. Results Both concentrations of the polysaccharide sphagnan and the soluble phenolics were positively correlated with intrinsic decay resistance, however, so were the previously understudied lignin-like phenolics. More resistant litter had more of all the important metabolites; consequently, PC1 scores were related to lab mass loss (R 2 = 0.57). There was no such relationship with field mass loss, which is also affected by the environment. PCA also revealed that metabolites clearly group Sphagnum sections (subgenera). Conclusions We suggest that the commonly stated growth-decomposition trade-off is largely due to litter quality. We show a strong phylogenetic control on Sphagnum metabolites, but their effects on decay are affected by nutrient availability in the habitat.

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“…Due to the high water level and poor substrate quality, they produce organic matter faster than it can decompose. This excess of organic matter is stored as peat, which can form layers up to several meters of depth (Rydin and Jeglum 2013). Peatlands can be divided into two main categories: minerotrophic and ombrotrophic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behind the stability of boreal bog carbon sink: Compositional and functional variation of vegetation across temporal and spatial scales

Korrensalo¹

2017

Diss. For.

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The Biology of Peatlands

Cited by 483 publications

References 0 publications

Annual greenhouse gas budget for a bog ecosystem undergoing restoration by rewetting

Annual greenhouse gas budget for a bog ecosystem undergoing restoration by rewetting

Biochemical determinants of litter quality in 15 species of Sphagnum

Behind the stability of boreal bog carbon sink: Compositional and functional variation of vegetation across temporal and spatial scales

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