Vegetation Composition and Carbon Dioxide Fluxes on Rewetted Milled Peatlands — Comparison with Undisturbed Bogs

Purre, Anna‐Helena; Ilomets, Mati

doi:10.1007/s13157-021-01518-2

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…In our study, it was clear that rewetting strongly inhibited ecosystem respiration (Figure 4 ), while plant productivity (GPP) also increased in these newly rewetted areas (see also Purre & Ilomets, 2021 ). This combined to rapidly switch this area from a large CO 2 source (if we assume that the values observed in the drained area are representative of emissions from the whole site prior to rewetting) to a small net CO 2 sink in year 1, which increased further in years 3–5.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Carbon and climate implications of rewetting a raised bog in Ireland

Wilson

Mackin²,

Tuovinen

et al. 2022

Global Change Biology

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Peatland rewetting has been proposed as a vital climate change mitigation tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to generate suitable conditions for the return of carbon (C) sequestration. In this study, we present annual C balances for a 5-year period at a rewetted peatland in Ireland (rewetted at the start of the study) and compare the results with an adjacent drained area (represents business-as-usual). Hydrological modelling of the 230-hectare site was carried out to determine the likely ecotopes (vegetation communities) that will develop post-rewetting and was used to inform a radiative forcing modelling exercise to determine the climate impacts of rewetting this peatland under five high-priority scenarios (SSP1-1.9, SS1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5). The drained area (marginal ecotope) was a net C source throughout the study and emitted 157 ± 25.5 g C m −2 year −1 . In contrast, the rewetted area (sub-central ecotope) was a net C sink of 78.0 ± 37.6 g C m −2 year −1 , despite relatively large annual methane emissions post-rewetting (average 19.3 ± 5.2 g C m −2 year −1 ). Hydrological modelling predicted the development of three key ecotopes at the site, with the subcentral ecotope predicted to cover 24% of the site, the sub-marginal predicted to cover 59% and the marginal predicted to cover 16%. Using these areal estimates, our radiative forcing modelling projects that under the SSP1-1.9 scenario, the site will have a warming effect on the climate until 2085 but will then have a strong cooling impact. In contrast, our modelling exercise shows that the site will never have a cooling impact under the SSP5-8.5 scenario. Our results confirm the importance of rapid rewetting of drained peatland sites to (a) achieve strong C emissions reductions, (b) establish optimal conditions for C sequestration and (c) set the site on a climate cooling trajectory.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Carbon and climate implications of rewetting a raised bog in Ireland

Wilson

Mackin²,

Tuovinen

et al. 2022

Global Change Biology

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“…The land remaining following drainage and peat extractions often is left untreated and undergo natural succession (Bastl et al, 2009; Konvalinková & Prach, 2010, 2014; Vítovcová et al, 2021). It may be managed in different ways (Prach et al, 2011; Woziwoda & Kopeć, 2014) or subjected to various procedures aimed at regenerating the peatland (Minayeva et al, 2017; Purre & Ilomets, 2021; Wheeler et al, 1995). An essential condition for achieving this purpose is maintenance of a suitable water level (Konvalinková & Prach, 2010; Purre & Ilomets, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It may be managed in different ways (Prach et al, 2011;Woziwoda & Kope c, 2014) or subjected to various procedures aimed at regenerating the peatland (Minayeva et al, 2017;Purre & Ilomets, 2021;Wheeler et al, 1995). An essential condition for achieving this purpose is maintenance of a suitable water level (Konvalinková & Prach, 2010;Purre & Ilomets, 2021). Natural succession in post-extraction areas, due to the drastically altered habitat conditions develops a different type of habitats (Lavoie et al, 2003;Vítovcová et al, 2021).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Raised bog biodiversity loss: A case‐study of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) as indicators of ecosystem degradation after peat mining

2022

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Peatlands are unique ecosystems inhabited by highly specialized biota. Due to extraction and drainage, these valuable ecosystems decline or represent only fragmented habitat patches. The aim of this study was to compare the carabid species composition, diversity, and life history traits between bog habitat types: 20 and 40 year post‐extraction sites and undisturbed one. We tried to determine whether populations of rare carabid bog specialists would persist in the post‐extraction habitats. The study was conducted in the raised bog, where 30 sampling transects with a total of 90 pitfall traps were established. 1616 individuals belonging to 30 carabid species were collected. The results revealed the significance differences in carabid species composition between studied habitat types and increasing the abundance and species richness in post‐extraction sites. According to spontaneous succession in post‐mining sites, the shift in life history traits of carabids towards forest assemblages was observed. We observed decline of the most valuable bog species in post‐mining sites. Agonum ericeti, Pterostichus rhaeticus and Bembidion humerale were present on the reference bog, with large covers of Sphagnum and shrubs, but sporadically at the 20 year post‐extraction site (except for A. ericeti), or not at all at the 40 year post‐extraction site overgrown by trees. Therefore measures should be undertaken in post‐extraction areas to enable the restoration of such specific conditions and a properly functioning raised bog ecosystem. This mainly requires restoration of a suitable hydrological regime, which is the key factor for the preservation of groups of bog specialist plants and animals.

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