Raised atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> levels and increased N deposition cause shifts in plant species composition and production in <i>Sphagnum</i> bogs

Berendse, F.; Breemen, N. van; Rydin, Håkan; Buttler, Alexandre; Heijmans, M.M.P.D.; Hoosbeek, Marcel R.; Lee, John A.; Mitchell, Edward A. D.; Saarinen, Timo; Vasander, Harri; Wallèn, Bo

doi:10.1046/j.1365-2486.2001.00433.x

Cited by 325 publications

(330 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Our N addition of 4 g N m -2 year -1 is therefore already relatively high, but actual N availability might have been even higher because of nutrient mineralisation from the Sphagnum and peat in containers. The high N concentrations we found were roughly equal to the maximum N concentration in Sphagnum of 20 mg g -1 estimated by Berendse et al (2001). Nitrogen concentrations were higher in the high N treatment: the N concentrations of S. fuscum and S. magellanicum in particular increased compared to initial values.…”

Section: Nitrogensupporting

confidence: 57%

“…The effect of increased N availability is less straight-forward because a small increase in N can enhance Sphagnum production at locations where N is a limiting nutrient (Turunen et al 2004). However, when N concentrations exceed a critical threshold value, Sphagnum production and cover are reduced (Berendse et al 2001;Gerdol et al 2007;Gunnarsson and Rydin 2000;Lamers et al 2000). Yet any positive effect of increased temperature and N on carbon sequestration in bogs may be counteracted by the positive effect of temperature (Hobbie 1996) and N (Franzén 2006) on decomposition rates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Response of Sphagnum species mixtures to increased temperature and nitrogen availability

et al. 2009

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To predict the role of ombrotrophic bogs as carbon sinks in the future, it is crucial to understand how Sphagnum vegetation in bogs will respond to global change. We performed a greenhouse experiment to study the effects of two temperature treatments (17.5 and 21.7°C) and two N addition treatments (0 and 4 g N m -2 year -1 ) on the growth of four Sphagnum species from three geographically interspersed regions: S. fuscum, S. balticum (northern and central Sweden), S. magellanicum and S. cuspidatum (southern Sweden). We studied the growth and cover change in four combinations of these Sphagnum species during two growing seasons. Sphagnum height increment and production were affected negatively by high temperature and high N addition. However, the northern species were more affected by temperature, while the southern species were more affected by N addition. High temperature depressed the cover of the 'wet' species, S. balticum and S. cuspidatum. Nitrogen concentrations increased with high N addition. N:P and N:K ratios indicated P-limited growth in all treatments and co-limitation of P and K in the high N treatments. In the second year of the experiment, several containers suffered from a severe fungal infection, particularly affecting the 'wet' species and the high N treatment. Our findings suggest that global change can have negative consequences for the production of Sphagnum species in bogs, with important implications for the carbon sequestration in these ecosystems.

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Section: Nitrogensupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Sphagnum species mixtures to increased temperature and nitrogen availability

et al. 2009

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“…For vascular plants, increasing N availability had variable species-specific effects on mass loss depending on the chemistry of initial litter Breeuwer et al, 2008]. At ecosystem level, increased N deposition can provoke a shift in species composition, with vascular plants or brown mosses displacing Sphagnum species as a result of efficient use of nitrogen [Berendse et al, 2001;Mitchell et al, 2002;Bubier et al, 2007], and this ultimately will change the litter quality of both individual species and the plant community.…”

Section: Litter Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Release in Peatlands

Bragazza

Buttler

Siegenthaler

et al. 2013

Carbon Cycling in Northern Peatlands

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“…Increasing N availability can promote plant productivity in bogs in locations where N remains a limiting nutrient (30)(31)(32). However, Sphagnum productivity has only been shown to respond positively to atmospheric N deposition until a critical threshold of Ϸ1 g of N⅐m Ϫ2 ⅐yr Ϫ1 , beyond which productivity is reported to decrease (30,(33)(34)(35).…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition promotes carbon loss from peat bogs

Bragazza

Freeman

Jones

et al. 2006

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Peat bogs have historically represented exceptional carbon (C) sinks because of their extremely low decomposition rates and consequent accumulation of plant remnants as peat. Among the factors favoring that peat accumulation, a major role is played by the chemical quality of plant litter itself, which is poor in nutrients and characterized by polyphenols with a strong inhibitory effect on microbial breakdown. Because bogs receive their nutrient supply solely from atmospheric deposition, the global increase of atmospheric nitrogen (N) inputs as a consequence of human activities could potentially alter the litter chemistry with important, but still unknown, effects on their C balance. Here we present data showing the decomposition rates of recently formed litter peat samples collected in nine European countries under a natural gradient of atmospheric N deposition from Ϸ0.2 to 2 g⅐m ؊2 ⅐yr ؊1 . We found that enhanced decomposition rates for material accumulated under higher atmospheric N supplies resulted in higher carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and dissolved organic carbon release. The increased N availability favored microbial decomposition (i) by removing N constraints on microbial metabolism and (ii) through a chemical amelioration of litter peat quality with a positive feedback on microbial enzymatic activity. Although some uncertainty remains about whether decay-resistant Sphagnum will continue to dominate litter peat, our data indicate that, even without such changes, increased N deposition poses a serious risk to our valuable peatland C sinks.decomposition ͉ global change ͉ litter peat ͉ CO2 P eatlands cover 2-3% of the land's surface, store approximately one-third of all soil carbon (C) (390-455 Pg), and currently act as sinks for atmospheric C (1, 2). The ability of peatlands to sequester atmospheric C resides in the long-term accumulation of partially decomposed organic matter (i.e., peat). Indeed, acidic water conditions, low soil temperature, frequent waterlogging, and low nutrient quality of plant litter impair decomposition of plant litter, favoring its accumulation (3). In peatlands exclusively fed by atmospheric deposition (i.e., bogs) (1), the accumulated peat is dominated by the remnants of the mosses of the genus Sphagnum, which produce a litter poor in nutrients and highly enriched in organochemical compounds such as uronic acids (4) and polyphenols (5) with a strong inhibitory effect on microbial activity and vascular plants (3). As such, Sphagnum plants form the bulk of living and dead biomass in bog ecosystems (3).Because of the strict dependence of bogs on atmospheric deposition as a source of nutrients (1), the increasing availability of biologically reactive nitrogen (N) from industrial and agricultural activities (6) could potentially alter the chemical quality of plant litter with consequent effects on the amount of C released during litter decomposition. Accordingly, an understanding of the mechanisms of bog soil C response to changing N availability is essential for assessing the capa...

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Raised atmospheric CO₂ levels and increased N deposition cause shifts in plant species composition and production in Sphagnum bogs

Cited by 325 publications

References 19 publications

Response of Sphagnum species mixtures to increased temperature and nitrogen availability

Response of Sphagnum species mixtures to increased temperature and nitrogen availability

Plant Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Release in Peatlands

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition promotes carbon loss from peat bogs

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Raised atmospheric CO2 levels and increased N deposition cause shifts in plant species composition and production in Sphagnum bogs

Cited by 325 publications

References 19 publications

Response of Sphagnum species mixtures to increased temperature and nitrogen availability

Response of Sphagnum species mixtures to increased temperature and nitrogen availability

Plant Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Release in Peatlands

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition promotes carbon loss from peat bogs

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Product

Resources

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Raised atmospheric CO₂ levels and increased N deposition cause shifts in plant species composition and production in Sphagnum bogs