Drainage ditches enhance forest succession in a raised bog but do not affect the spatial pattern of tree encroachment

Nowakowska, Joanna; Gazda, Anna; Tomski, Andrzej; Szwagrzyk, Jerzy

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0247760

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 39 publications

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“…In the poor fen, increased growth of shrubs and tree seedlings counterbalanced the decreased graminoid biomass, but in the rich fen the biomass had already moved to the canopy of established tree stand. Our results support the views that climate change‐induced drying likely leads to shrubification, followed by tree stand formation (Nowakowska et al, 2021; Tahvanainen, 2011) and relocation of the plant biomass from the field layer to the tree canopy, as seen in the rich fen WLD area.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Water level drawdown makes boreal peatland vegetation more responsive to weather conditions

Köster,

Chapman,

Barel

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

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Climate warming and projected increase in summer droughts puts northern peatlands under pressure by subjecting them to a combination of gradual drying and extreme weather events. The combined effect of those on peatland functions is poorly known. Here, we studied the impact of long‐term water level drawdown (WLD) and contrasting weather conditions on leaf phenology and biomass production of ground level vegetation in boreal peatlands. Data were collected during two contrasting growing seasons from a WLD experiment including a rich and a poor fen and an ombrotrophic bog. Results showed that WLD had a strong effect on both leaf area development and biomass production, and these responses differed between peatland types. In the poor fen and the bog, WLD increased plant growth, while in the rich fen, WLD reduced the growth of ground level vegetation. Plant groups differed in their response, as WLD reduced the growth of graminoids, while shrubs and tree seedlings benefited from it. In addition, the vegetation adjusted to the lower WTs, was more responsive to short‐term climatic variations. The warmer summer resulted in a greater maximum and earlier peaking of leaf area index, and greater biomass production by vascular plants and Sphagnum mosses at WLD sites. In particular, graminoids benefitted from the warmer conditions. The change towards greater production in the WLD sites in general and during the warmer weather in particular, was related to the observed transition in plant functional type composition towards arboreal vegetation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Water level drawdown makes boreal peatland vegetation more responsive to weather conditions

Köster,

Chapman,

Barel

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

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Rapid mixed forest encroachment and the expansion of red maple (Acer rubrum) in a peatland: a dendroecological and paleoecological approach

Lavoie

Grondin

Caron

et al. 2022

Botany

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Some ombrotrophic peatlands in temperate regions have been characterized by a process of rapid densification of their forest cover for several decades. This phenomenon is particularly marked in southern Québec (Canada), where a number of peatlands now contain mixed forest stands. The present study aimed to document the woody encroachment dynamics of a peatland colonized by Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch and Acer rubrum L. The specific objectives were to characterize the contemporary dynamics of the forest cover through analysis of dendrometric, dendrochronological, and aerial photographs, and to reconstruct the evolution of tree species present in situ since the peatland’s origin through botanical identification of ligneous remains collected in excavations of the peat as well as macrofossil analysis of a sedimentary core. The vegetation cover underwent rapid transformation beginning in the 1970s, first by the densification of L. laricina, followed by the expansion of A. rubrum. This transformation followed several millennia during which the peatland continuously presented a shrub-dominated cover with a few scattered coniferous trees. The rapid expansion of a mixed forest cover is a unique event in the peatland’s history. Acer rubrum progressively replaced L. laricina and, in the more or less long-term, should become the dominant species.

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The Population of the Glacial Relict Betula nana Surviving Anthropogenic Pressure (the Case of Šepeta Peatland in Northeastern Lithuania)

Jukonienė,

Bagušinskaitė,

Kalvaitienė

et al. 2024

Diversity

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The main objective of the study was to evaluate the population characteristics of Betula nana under different anthropogenic influences. The study was conducted in the vicinity of the exploited Šepeta peatland (northeastern Lithuania). The population status of B. nana was determined by comparing the ramet density and morphology (height, branching, and leaf size), the age structure, the number of generative ramets, and their flowering characteristics in four study areas at different distances from the exploited peatlands and in different habitats. Around 20 environmental factors were included in the analysis, covering water levels, peat, and vegetation characteristics. Shading, drainage and increased amounts of nitrogen in the habitats are the main factors contributing to the differences and structure of B. nana cenopopulations. Although taller ramets with larger leaves are observed under the changed conditions as an adaptation to shading, the negative anthropogenic effects in the most affected habitats are reflected in a reduction in the number of flowering ramets, lower vegetative regeneration, and an increase in the number of dead twigs on mature ramets.

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Drainage ditches enhance forest succession in a raised bog but do not affect the spatial pattern of tree encroachment

Cited by 3 publications

References 39 publications

Water level drawdown makes boreal peatland vegetation more responsive to weather conditions

Water level drawdown makes boreal peatland vegetation more responsive to weather conditions

Rapid mixed forest encroachment and the expansion of red maple (Acer rubrum) in a peatland: a dendroecological and paleoecological approach

The Population of the Glacial Relict Betula nana Surviving Anthropogenic Pressure (the Case of Šepeta Peatland in Northeastern Lithuania)

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