Hydrological changes in the Rzecin peatland (Puszcza Notecka, Poland) induced by anthropogenic factors: Implications for mire development and carbon sequestration

Abstract

Wetlands are very vulnerable ecosystems and sensitive to changes in the ground water table. For the last few thousand years, hydrological balance has also been influenced by human activity. To improve their cropping features, drainage activity and fertilizing were applied. The drainage process led to an abrupt change of environment, the replacement of plant communities and the entire ecosystem. The problem of carbon sequestration is very important nowadays. A higher accumulation rate is related to higher carbon accumulation, but the intensity of carbon sequestration depends on the type of mire, habitat, and climatic zone. The main aim of this article was an examination of the changes in poor-fen ecosystem during the last 200 years in relation to natural and anthropogenic factors, using paleoecological methods (pollen and macrofossils). The second aim was a detailed investigation of the sedimentary record to aid our understanding of carbon sequestration in the poor fen of temperate zone. This case study shows that fens in temperate zones, in comparison with boreal ones, show higher carbon accumulation rates which have been especially intensive over the last few decades. To reconstruct vegetation changes, detailed palynological and macrofossil analyses were done. A 200-year history of the mire revealed that it was influenced by human activity to much degree. However, despite the nearby settlement and building of the drainage ditch, the precious species and plant communities still occur.

Autogenic and allogenic factors affecting development of a floating Sphagnum-dominated peat mat in a karst pond basin

“…may indicate a classical lateral (centripetal) encroachment of original vegetation mats from the margins of the karst pond (Kratz and DeWitt, 1986;Rydin and Jeglum, 2006;Warner et al, 1989). This mechanism of terrestrialization has been widely observed for other types of depressional ecosystems, including kettle-hole and thermokarst lakes (Drzymulska et al, 2013;Ireland and Booth, 2011;Kowalewski and Zurek, 2011;Milecka et al, 2017;Parsekian et al, 2011).…”

Hyplant-Derived Sun-Induced Fluorescence—A New Opportunity to Disentangle Complex Vegetation Signals from Diverse Vegetation Types

“…This study was carried out in the Rzecin (POLWET) peatland area ( Figure 1) located in western Poland (52 • 45 N, 16 • 18 E, 54 m asl). The whole Rzecin peatland, which is considered a poor fen, covers an area of 114 hectares [39]. According to historical and cartographic data, the peatland is a result of lake shallowing, a decelerated but ongoing process [39,40].…”

“…The whole Rzecin peatland, which is considered a poor fen, covers an area of 114 hectares [39]. According to historical and cartographic data, the peatland is a result of lake shallowing, a decelerated but ongoing process [39,40]. At the middle of the peatland, there is a station where measurements of greenhouse gas exchange (CO 2 , CH 4 , H 2 O) have been carried out continuously since 2004 [41][42][43][44][45].…”

Can Vegetation Indices Serve as Proxies for Potential Sun-Induced Fluorescence (SIF)? A Fuzzy Simulation Approach on Airborne Imaging Spectroscopy Data

“…This study was conducted over Rzecin peatland and surrounded ecosystems (Figure 1) located in the western part of Poland (52 • 45 N, 16 • 18 E, 54 m a.s.l.) [59][60][61][62][63].…”