Peat formation potential of temperate fens increases with hydrological stability.

Autor: Jaszczuk I; Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address: izabela.m.jaszczuk@gmail.com., Jabłońska E; Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland., Kozub Ł; Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland., Tanneberger F; University of Greifswald, Experimental Plant Ecology, partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487 Greifswald, Germany., Aggenbach C; KWR Water Research Institute, Groningenhaven 7, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, the Netherlands., Seeber E; University of Greifswald, Experimental Plant Ecology, partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487 Greifswald, Germany., van Diggelen R; University of Antwerp, Department of Biology, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp-Wilrijk, Belgium., Kreyling J; University of Greifswald, Experimental Plant Ecology, partner in the Greifswald Mire Centre, Soldmannstr. 15, 17487 Greifswald, Germany., Silvennoinen HM; Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Høgskoleringen 9, 7034 Trondheim, Norway., Kotowski W; Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2024 Oct 15; Vol. 947, pp. 174617. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 09.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174617
Abstrakt: Peat formation is the key process responsible for carbon sequestration in peatlands. In rich fens, peat is formed by brown mosses and belowground biomass of vascular plants. However, the impact of ecohydrological settings on the contribution of mosses and belowground biomass to peat formation remains an open question. We established seven transects in well-preserved fens in NE Poland along an ecohydrological gradient from mesotrophic sedge-moss communities with stable water levels, to more eutrophic tall sedge communities with higher water level fluctuations. In each transect, we measured the production of brown mosses (using the plug method), aboveground vascular plant biomass (one year after cutting) and belowground biomass (using ingrowth cores). Decomposition rates of all biomass fractions were assessed using litter bags. The first-year surplus of potentially peat-forming fractions, i.e., mosses and belowground biomass, decreased with increasing water level fluctuations and along a vegetation gradient from sedge-moss to tall sedge communities. Moss production was highest in the sedge-moss fen with a stable water level at the ground surface. We did not detect any difference in belowground biomass production across the gradient but found it to be consistently higher in the upper 0-5 cm than in the deeper layers. The decomposition rate also showed no response to the gradient, but differed between biomass types, with aboveground biomass of vascular plants decomposing 2.5 times faster than belowground biomass and mosses. Pattern of peat formation potential along the ecohydrological gradient in rich fen was strongly driven by brown moss production. Sedge-moss fens with a stable water level at the ground surface have the highest peat formation capacity compared to other vegetation types. In the part of the gradient that is poorer in nutrients, vascular plants invest in belowground production, and mosses dominate the aboveground layer.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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