Cotton-Grass and Blueberry have Opposite Effect on Peat Characteristics and Nutrient Transformation in Peatland

Kaštovská, Eva; Straková, Petra; Edwards, Keith R.; Urbanová, Zuzana; Bárta, Jiří; Mastný, Jiří; Šantrůčková, Hana; Picek, Tomáš

doi:10.1007/s10021-017-0159-3

Cited by 30 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…In Ohtu, P and K addition resulted in somewhat higher vascular plant biomass, especially grasses and herbs similar to Ferland and Rochefort (1997), Van Duren et al (1997), Chapin et al (2004), Sottocornola et al (2007), and Rochefort et al (2016), although differences in the current study were insignificant. As the most abundant grass species in the study sites, E. vaginatum plays an important role in N immobilization (Silvan et al 2004; Kaštovská et al 2018), which affects N availability to other plants and therefore their growth, especially in Ohtu where E. vaginatum is most abundant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of different treatments of moss layer transfer technique on plant functional types' biomass in revegetated milled peatlands

Purre

Ilomets

Truus

et al. 2020

Restoration Ecology

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The number and the area of former milled peatlands under restoration have increased rapidly in the Northern Hemisphere in recent decades with the primary aim of promoting peat accumulation. However, the application of similar restoration techniques across different sites does not always lead to desired results, and some site-specific modifications may be needed. This study aimed to evaluate the response of aboveground plant biomass on three experimental sites in northern Estonia to different restoration techniques in degraded peatlands. The sites were restored using the moss layer transfer technique, which was modified with different plant spreading rates and species composition of spread material, fertilization, and creating variations in microtopography. The strongest effect of manipulations was found for bryophyte biomass responses to treatments. The creation of a microtopographic relief during the site preparation phase favored the development of Sphagnum biomass in depressions rather than in positive microforms. The species composition of the spreading material had some effect on bryophyte biomass: Sphagnum biomass was higher where hummock species had been spread. We did not find any statistical difference in the ratio of Sphagnum reintroduction tested ranging from 1:10 to 1:15.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of different treatments of moss layer transfer technique on plant functional types' biomass in revegetated milled peatlands

Purre

Ilomets

Truus

et al. 2020

Restoration Ecology

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“…Such a mechanism that inhibits respiration in high temperatures is not known; a combination of low production and high respiration would seriously threaten the function of peatland ecosystems as C sinks. Generally, a shift in plant community structure may affect peatland ecosystem function profoundly, as PFTs vary with respect to their decomposition rate (Dorrepaal, Cornelissen, Aerts, Wallen, & van Logtestijn, ; Straková et al., ; Turetsky et al., ), photosynthetic efficiency (Leppälä, Kukko‐Oja, Laine, & Tuittila, ; Ward, Bardgett, McNamara, & Ostle, ), influence on CH 4 emissions (Joabsson & Christensen, ; Ström, Mastepanov, & Christensen, ), and other factors that are expected to influence C cycling and storage (Kaštovská et al., ). Belowground production patterns are still little known but are of special interest in fens since litter inputs deep in anoxic peat by sedge roots may be critical for C sequestration (Saarinen, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of phenology and biomass production of boreal fens to climate warming under different water‐table level regimes

Mäkiranta

Laiho

Mehtätalo

et al. 2017

Global Change Biology

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Climate change affects peatlands directly through increased air temperatures and indirectly through changes in water-table level (WL). The interactions of these two still remain poorly known. We determined experimentally the separate and interactive effects of temperature and WL regime on factors of relevance for the inputs to the carbon cycle: plant community composition, phenology, biomass production, and shoot:root allocation in two wet boreal sedge-dominated fens, "southern" at 62°N and "northern" at 68°Ν. Warming (1.5°C higher average daily air temperature) was induced with open-top chambers and WL drawdown (WLD; 3-7 cm on average) by shallow ditches. Total biomass production varied from 250 to 520 g/m , with belowground production comprising 25%-63%. Warming was associated with minor effects on phenology and negligible effects on community composition, biomass production, and allocation. WLD clearly affected the contribution of different plant functional types (PFTs) in the community and the biomass they produced: shrubs benefited while forbs and mosses suffered. These responses did not depend on the warming treatment. Following WLD, aboveground biomass production decreased mainly due to reduced growth of mosses in the southern fen. Aboveground vascular plant biomass production remained unchanged but the contribution of different PFTs changed. The observed changes were also reflected in plant phenology, with different PFTs showing different responses. Belowground production increased following WLD in the northern fen only, but an increase in the contributions of shrubs and forbs was observed in both sites, while sedge contribution decreased. Moderate warming alone seems not able to drive significant changes in plant productivity or community composition in these wet ecosystems. However, if warming is accompanied by even modest WL drawdown, changes should be expected in the relative contribution of PFTs, which could lead to profound changes in the function of fens. Consequently, hydrological scenarios are of utmost importance when estimating their future function.

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“…Sedge litter is likely to be more readily decomposable compared to shrub litter, caused by its lower C/N ratios ( Fig. 1; Huang Kaštovská et al, 2018;Laiho et al, 2003;Limpens and Berendse, 2003). Furthermore, additional oxygenation by the aerenchym of E. vaginatum might trigger further decomposition of moss-dominated peat (Armstrong, 1964;Holzapfel-Pschorn et al, 1986;Roura-Carol and Freeman, 1999).…”

Section: Effects Of Vascular Plants On Decomposition Of Moss-dominatementioning

confidence: 99%

Vascular plants affect properties and decomposition of moss-dominated peat, particularly at elevated temperatures

Zeh¹,

Igel²,

Schellekens³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Abstract. Peatlands, storing significant amounts of carbon are extremely vulnerable to climate change. The effects of climate change are projected to lead to a vegetation shift from Sphagnum mosses to sedges and shrubs. Impacts on the present moss-dominated peat remain largely unknown. In this study, we used a multi proxy approach to investigate the influence of contrasting vascular plant types (sedges, shrubs) on peat chemistry and decomposition. Peat cores of 20&#8201;cm depth and plant material (Sphagnum spp., Calluna vulgaris, Eriophorum vaginatum) from two ombrotrophic peatlands in the Italian Alps with a mean annual temperature difference of 1.4&#8201;&#176;C were analysed. Peat cores were taken under adjacent shrub and sedge plants growing at the same height above the water table. We used carbon, nitrogen and their stable isotopes to assess general patterns in the degree of decomposition across sampling locations and depths. In addition, analytical pyrolysis was applied to disentangle effects of vascular plants (sedge, shrub) on chemical properties and decomposition of the moss-dominated peat. Pyrolysis data confirmed that Sphagnum moss dominated the present peat irrespectively of depth. Nevertheless, vascular plants contributed to peat properties as revealed by e.g. pyrolysis products of lignin. The degree of peat decomposition increased with depth as shown by e.g. decreasing amounts of the pyrolysis product of sphagnum acid and increasing &#948;13C with depth. Multiple parameters also revealed a higher degree of decomposition of Sphagnum-dominated peat collected under sedges than under shrubs, particularly at the high temperature site. Surprisingly, temperature effects on peat decomposition were less pronounced than those of sedges. Our results imply that vascular plants affect the decomposition of the existing peat formed by Sphagnum, particularly at elevated temperature. These results suggest that changes in plant functional types may have a stronger impact on the soil carbon feedback in a warmer world than hitherto assumed.

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Cotton-Grass and Blueberry have Opposite Effect on Peat Characteristics and Nutrient Transformation in Peatland

Cited by 30 publications

References 53 publications

The effect of different treatments of moss layer transfer technique on plant functional types' biomass in revegetated milled peatlands

The effect of different treatments of moss layer transfer technique on plant functional types' biomass in revegetated milled peatlands

Responses of phenology and biomass production of boreal fens to climate warming under different water‐table level regimes

Vascular plants affect properties and decomposition of moss-dominated peat, particularly at elevated temperatures

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