The Falkland Islands contain extensive and poorly-understood peatlands. Peatlands are notably old with many pre-Holocene in age. Long-term carbon accumulation rate is very variable between sites. One site has the highest recorded carbon accumulation rate for any global peatland. These unusual peatlands deserve further study.
Palaeoecological analyses of Falkland Island peat profiles have largely been confined to pollen analyses. In order to improve understanding of long-term Falkland Island peat development processes, the plant macrofossil and stable isotope stratigraphy of an 11,550 year Falkland Island Cortaderia pilosa ('whitegrass') peat profile was investigated. The peatland developed into an acid, whitegrass peatland via a poor fen stage. Macrofossil charcoal indicate that local fires have frequently occurred throughout the development of the peatland. Raman spectroscopy analyses indicate changes in the intensity of burning which are likely to be related to changes in fuel types, abundance of fine fuels due to reduced evapotranspiration/higher rainfall (under weaker Southern Westerly Winds), peat moisture and human disturbance. Stable isotope and thermogravimetric analyses were used to identify a period of enhanced decomposition of the peat matrices dating from ~7020 cal yr BP, which possibly reflects increasing strength of the Southern Westerly winds. The application of Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyses to the Falkland Island peat profile identified changes in fire intensity and decomposition which were not detectable using the techniques of macrofossil charcoal and plant macrofossil analyses.
<p>Growing global demand of water use, and regional changes in precipitation in many regions, has resulted in increasing long-term irrigation of agricultural soils with post-treatment waste water. Overlaying this trend with the rising use of pharmaceuticals has created a new pathway for these pollutants, including biologically active compounds such as antibiotics, to enter the soil environment. We present results from a new interdisciplinary study of the response of an agroecosystem which was repeatedly contaminated with a typical combination of antibiotics at a representative concentration found in waste water effluent. Results from this experimental manipulation, show the impact of different concentrations of antibiotics in the soil and the unexpected repercussions throughout the agroecosystem. This includes effects on soil microbial communities, microbial function (anti-microbial resistance), abiotic soil condition, antibiotic persistence in the soil, ecosystem function (greenhouse gas exchange) and the effect on the arable crop itself. Implications of this study are relevant to fully understanding the impact of this land management technique on the sustainability of food production.</p><p>This study was funded through the UK&#8217;s N8AgriFood Programme.</p>
<div> <p>Peatland restoration efforts are accelerating globally with a primary aim of restoring the carbon balance of these ecosystems. Degraded peatlands export carbon to the atmosphere&#160;but also&#160;to freshwater environments as dissolved organic compounds. Whilst hydrological restoration measures can effectively reduce&#160;emissions&#160;of CO2&#160;from upland&#160;peatlands, the impact on carbon export to the aquatic environment is less apparent. In some&#160;cases,&#160;dissolved organic concentrations can even increase after restoration, without clear mechanisms that could drive such a response. We aim to determine whether the response of the peat microbial community&#160;to restoration measures can explain poorly understood trends in dissolved organics.&#160;</p> </div><div> <p>We investigated a severely degraded peatland in&#160;South Wales that has experienced historic drying to considerable depth, almost complete loss of surface vegetation, and a lowering of the peat surface. Restoration measures implemented over the past 16 years have involved hydrological intervention through gulley-blocking as well as efforts to stabilize the peat surface and re-establish plant communities.&#160; Porewater&#160;collected over the first 6 months of our investigation indicates, contrary to expectation, that DOC concentrations were lowest in the most severely degraded region of the&#160;bog&#160;and highest in&#160;the&#160;least&#160;disturbed&#160;regions. We will discuss the potential drivers behind this observed trend,&#160;focusing&#160;on&#160;the role played by the peatland microbiome in the processing of dissolved organics in the&#160;peatland.&#160;In&#160;addition,&#160;we draw on&#160;water-table&#160;monitoring&#160;and sampling results to consider how environmental and geochemical conditions&#160;moderate&#160;biotic processing of dissolved organics.&#160;Improvement&#160;of&#160;our&#160;understanding of the microbial community&#160;response&#160;to rewetting measures is required&#160;as this underpins the function and carbon balance of these systems and will&#160;ultimately&#160;inform management approaches.&#160;</p> </div>
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