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We examined the concentration of nitrogen (N) and δ15N in vegetation and peat in the Mer Bleue bog, Ontario, Canada. Compared with other ecosystems, N concentration in bog plant foliage is low (generally < 1.2%), with more N stored belowground than in foliar tissues. The natural abundance of 15N varies by plant functional type, indicating different strategies for nutrient acquisition. δ15N values of evergreen shrubs and trees are lower (~− 5 to ~− 9‰) than sedges and herbs (~+ 1 to ~− 1‰), likely the result of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi, which retain 15N in fungal biomass, with preferential transfer of 14N to the host plant. Results suggest that N in Sphagnum moss capitula is derived from uptake of N from decomposing peat and litter, with δ15N values of − 8 to − 2‰, rather than from N2 fixation. Soil δ15N varies with depth, related to degree of decomposition and dominant plant species litter. Foliar N plays a critical role in influencing the rate of photosynthesis and CO2 exchange. Despite paucity of available inorganic N in the system, most bog plants (that is, evergreen shrubs) have adapted with conservative growth strategies. Owing to slow decomposition, N is stored in this system tightly bound with organic matter, with C:N ratios in deep peat ranging from 33:1 to 23:1 and small fluxes into, out of and within the system. An increase in N availability, through atmospheric N deposition or water table lowering, could jeopardize the C sink function of bogs by stimulating microbial decomposition of organic matter. In the long term, an increase in N cycling would shift plant community composition from Sphagnum and evergreen dominated to deciduous species, fundamentally altering bog ecosystem function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lakes are a key feature of arctic landscapes and can be an important component of regional organic carbon (OC) budgets, but C burial rates are not well estimated. 210Pb-dated sediment cores and carbon and organic matter (as loss-on-ignition) content were used to estimate OC burial for 16 lakes in SW Greenland. Burial rates were corrected for sediment focusing using the 210Pb flux method. The study lakes span a range of water chemistries (conductivity range 25–3400 µS cm−1), areas (< 4–100 ha) and maximum depths (~ 10–50 m). The regional average focusing-corrected OC accumulation rate was ~ 2 g C m−2 y−1 prior to ~ 1950 and 3.6 g C m−2 y−1 after 1950. Among-lake variability in post-1950 OC AR was correlated with in-lake dissolved organic carbon concentration, conductivity, altitude and location along the fjord. Twelve lakes showed an increase in mean OC AR over the analyzed time period, ~ 1880–2000; as the study area was cooling until recently, this increase is probably attributable to other global change processes, for example, altered inputs of N or P. There are ~ 20,000 lakes in the study area ranging from ~ 1 ha to more than 130 km2, although over 83% of lakes are less than 10 ha. Extrapolating the mean post-1950 OC AR (3.6 g C m−2 y−1) to all lakes larger than 1000 ha and applying a lower rate of ~ 2 g C m−2 y−1 to large lakes (> 1000 ha) suggests a regional annual lake OC burial rate of ~ 10.14 × 109 g C y−1 post 1950. Given the low C content of soils in this area, lakes represent a substantial regional C store. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, peatlands store a large quantity of soil carbon that can be subsequently modified by hydrologic alterations from land-use change and climate change. However, there are many uncertainties in predicting how carbon cycling and greenhouse gas emissions are altered by long-term changes in hydrology. Therefore, the goal of this study was to quantify how multi-decadal manipulations of water table (WT) levels affected carbon cycling (plant production and net ecosystem exchange from three eddy covariance towers) in a peatland complex modified by levee construction, which created a wetter area up-gradient of the levee (mean WT was 12.1 cm below the surface), a dry area below the levee (36.8 cm), and an adjacent reference site not affected by the levee (21.6 cm). We found that mean total plant production was greatest in the reference site (311.9 g C m y), followed by the dry site (290.5 g C m y), and lowest in the wet site (227.1 g C m y). Net ecosystem exchange during the growing season was negative for all sites (sink), with the wet site having the greatest sink and the dry site having the lowest sink. Ecosystem respiration increased and CH emissions decreased with a decreasing WT level. This research demonstrates that human alteration of peatland WT levels can have long-term (>50 years) consequences on peatland carbon cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in vegetation composition due to nitrogen deposition may influence the role of peatlands in the carbon cycle. The impact of nitrogen (N) on vegetation composition of the Mer Bleue Bog (Ontario) and the underlying mechanisms were studied using a coupled carbon (C) and nitrogen wetland model (PEATBOG). The model was applied to data from a long-term nutrient fertilization experiment and the results were compared with the observed C and N pools in plants, peat, and soil water after 8 years of fertilization with 1.6, 3.2, and 6.4 gN m y and additional phosphorus and potassium. The evaluated model was employed to simulate the vegetation dynamics in the peatland fertilized with different loads and concentrations of N. The model suggested a shift in plant functional types from moss-shrub dominated to graminoid dominated with increasing N load. Suppression of mosses by N fertilization was mitigated by daily deposition of N at a low concentration. Mosses became extinct in the simulations only when the concentration and load of N deposition were high, corroborating empirical results from the fertilization experiment. Tracking the deposited N in the system, the model indicated that it was primarily sequestered in the peat. Dissolved N concentrations in peat and export from the bog increased with N load and decreased with N concentration, leading to higher N uptake by vascular plants. The results further suggested that the observed detrimental effect of N on mosses was most likely due to toxicity caused by N uptake exceeding N assimilation. Exposure of mosses to high N concentrations in precipitation and evaporating water on moss tissues is thus a factor that needs attention when considering critical loads of N deposition on peatlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ombrotrophic bog peatlands are nutrient-deficient systems and important carbon (C) sinks yet the stoichiometry of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), essential for plant growth and decomposition, has rarely been studied. We investigated the seasonal variation in C, N, P, and K concentrations and their stoichiometric ratios in photosynthetically active tissues of 14 species belonging to five plant functional types (PFTs) (mosses, deciduous trees/shrubs, evergreen shrubs, graminoids, and forb) at Mer Bleue bog, an ombrotrophic peatland in eastern Ontario, Canada. Although we observed variations in stoichiometry among PFTs at peak growing season, there was convergence of C:N:P:K to an average mass ratio of 445:14:1:9, indicating N and P co-limitation. Nitrogen, P, and K concentrations and stoichiometric ratios showed little seasonal variation in mosses, evergreens, and graminoids, but in forb and deciduous species were the largest in spring and decreased throughout the growing season. Variations in nutrient concentrations and stoichiometric ratios among PFTs were greater than seasonal variation within PFTs. Plants exhibit N and P co-limitation and adapt to extremely low nutrient availability by maintaining small nutrient concentrations in photosynthetically active tissues, especially for evergreen shrubs and Sphagnum mosses. Despite strong seasonal variations in nutrient availabilities, few species show strong seasonal variation in nutrient concentrations, suggesting a strong stoichiometric homeostasis at Mer Bleue bog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open top chambers (OTCs) and infrared (IR) lamps have been widely used for experimentally warming ecosystems, especially in high latitude and alpine regions. The efficacy of OTCs and IR lamps is variable, yet there has not been a direct, experimentally controlled comparison of these warming methods. We, therefore, implemented a factorial study in a northern Michigan peatland to test how warming and microtopography interacted to affect micrometeorological parameters and CO and CH flux rates. IR lamps significantly warmed the soil (5 cm depth; P < 0.05) by 1.4 and 1.9°C in 2009 and 2010, respectively, with the majority of warming occurring during nighttime hours. OTCs did not provide any long-term warming increase compared to control plots, which is contrary to OTC studies at high latitudes. By investigating diurnal heating patterns and micrometeorological variables, we determined that OTCs were not achieving strong daytime heating peaks and were often cooler than controls during nighttime hours. Temperate day-length, cloudy and humid conditions, and latent heat loss were factors that may have inhibited OTC warming. Warming treatments created mixed effects on gas flux components. Within drier, hummock plots, IR lamps significantly increased gross ecosystem production (GEP) but not ecosystem respiration (ER), whereas OTCs had no effect on GEP or ER in hummocks. In wetter, lawn plots, warming treatments had no effect on CO flux or CH flux. We show here that IR lamps are more effective than OTCs for studying how temperate peatlands may respond to increased temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mer Bleue peatland is a large ombrotrophic bog with hummock-lawn microtopography, poor fen sections and beaver ponds at the margin. Average growing-season (May-October) fluxes of methane (CH) measured in 2002-2003 across the bog ranged from less than 5 mg m d in hummocks, to greater than 100 mg m d in lawns and ponds. The average position of the water table explained about half of the variation in the season average CH fluxes, similar to that observed in many other peatlands in Canada and elsewhere. The flux varied most when the water table position ranged between −15 and −40 cm. To better establish the factors that influence this variability, we measured CH flux at approximately weekly intervals from May to November for 5 years (2004-2008) at 12 collars representing the water table and vegetation variations typical of the peatland. Over the snow-free season, peat temperature is the dominant correlate and the difference among the collars' seasonal average CH flux is partially dependent on water table position. A third important correlate on CH flux is vegetation, particularly the presence of Eriophorum vaginatum, which increases CH flux, as well as differences in the potential of the peat profile to produce and consume CH under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The combination of peat temperature and water table position with vegetation cover was able to explain approximately 44% of the variation in daily CH flux, based on 1097 individual measurements. There was considerable inter-annual variation in fluxes, associated with varying peat thermal and water table regimes in response to variations in weather, but also by variations in the water level in peripheral ponds, associated with beaver dam activity. Raised water level in the beaver ponds led to higher water tables and increased CH emission in the peatland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

nthropogenic nitrogen (N) loading has the potential to affect plant community structure and function, and the carbon dioxide (CO) sink of peatlands. Our aim is to study how vegetation changes, induced by nutrient input, affect the CO exchange of a nutrient-limited bog. We conducted 9- and 4-year fertilization experiments at Mer Bleue bog, where we applied N addition levels of 1.6, 3.2, and 6.4 g N m a, upon a background deposition of about 0.8 g N m a, with or without phosphorus and potassium (PK). Only the treatments 3.2 and 6.4 g N m a with PK significantly affected CO fluxes. These treatments shifted the Sphagnum moss and dwarf shrub community to taller dwarf shrub thickets without moss, and the CO responses depended on the phase of vegetation transition. Overall, compared to the large observed changes in the vegetation, the changes in CO fluxes were small. Following Sphagnum loss after 5 years, maximum ecosystem photosynthesis (Pg) and net CO exchange (NEE) were lowered (−19 and −46%, respectively) in the highest NPK treatment. In the following years, while shrub height increased, the vascular foliar biomass did not fully compensate for the loss of moss biomass; yet, by year 8 there were no significant differences in Pg and NEE between the nutrient and the control treatments. At the same time, an increase (24–32%) in ecosystem respiration (ER) became evident. Trends in the N-only experiment resembled those in the older NPK experiment by the fourth year. The increasing ER with increasing vascular plant and decreasing Sphagnum moss biomass across the experimental plots suggest that high N deposition may lessen the CO sink of a bog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peatland-margin habitats with organic matter accumulation of 40–150 cm make up a significant but poorly quantified portion of Canada’s boreal forest region. Spanning the transition between non-wetland forest and fen proper, these ecosystems represent a zone of complex environmental and vegetation change, yet little is known about their ecological function or development. We here use vegetation and macrofossil analysis, traditional 14C, bomb-spike 14C, and 210Pb dating to investigate the development, organic matter accumulation, and recent vegetation history of peat margin communities at two sites in central Saskatchewan, Canada. Although similar in general shape, bomb-spike 14C and 210Pb chronologies show limited agreement in three of the four profiles examined, with 210Pb generally producing younger ages than 14C. Peat initiation and long-term organic matter accumulation at the Old Black Spruce (OBS) transect were probably driven mainly by the dynamics of Sphagnum, whereas at the Sandhill Fen (SF) transect, they were controlled by water level fluctuations in the neighboring fen. Bryophyte macrofossils suggest a recent drying of the vegetation surface at both sites, most likely triggered by regional drought in the late 1950s and 1960s. At OBS, the shift from Sphagnum- to feather moss-dominated communities continued in the 1990s, possibly reflecting effects of direct disturbance on local drainage patterns. Overall, our results suggest that community composition and C dynamics of peat-margin swamps respond dynamically to climatic and hydrologic fluctuations. However, uncertainties regarding the reliability of different chronologies limit our ability to link observed community changes to specific causal events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand how carbon (C) pools in boreal ecosystems may change with warming, we measured above- and belowground C pools and C increment along a soil temperature gradient across 16 mature upland black spruce ( Picea mariana Mill. [B·S.P]) forests in interior Alaska. Total spruce C stocks (stand and root C) increased from 1.3 to 8.5 kg C m−2 with increasing soil summed degree-days (SDD > 0°C at 10 cm) across sites, whereas soil C stocks decreased from 11.9 to 6.3 kg C m−2 with increasing SDD. Spruce C and organic soil C, which combined represent maximum C accrual since the last fire, increased with soil heat sums until 600 SDD, and then plateaued with increasing SDD across sites ( R2 = 0.61, P = 0.002; second-order polynomial regression). The sum of soil and total spruce C (total ecosystem C, TEC) reached its maximum in the middle-range of soil temperatures measured (approximately 600 SDD), and was lower in the coolest (139 SDD) and the warmest (914 SDD) forests. The opposing trends between above- and belowground pools resulted in C shifting from the soil to spruce biomass with warmer soil temperatures. A shift in C distribution from below- to aboveground pools, as temperature increases, has implications for the vulnerability of C lost in boreal forest wildfires. The strongly negative relationship between surface mineral soil C stocks and increasing temperatures warrants further research into the potential loss of deep mineral soil C stocks with continued warming, especially in forests presently underlain with permafrost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large accumulation of organic matter in peatlands is primarily caused by slow rates of litter decomposition. We determined rates of decomposition of major peat-forming litters of vascular plants and mosses at five sites: a poor fen in New Hampshire and a bog hummock, a poor fen, a beaver pond margin and a beaver pond in Ontario. We used the litterbag technique, retrieving triplicate litterbags six or seven times over 3–5 years, and found that simple exponential decay and continuous-quality non-linear regression models could adequately characterize the decomposition in most cases. Within each site, the rate of decomposition at the surface was generally Typha latifolia leaves = Chamaedaphne calyculata leaves = Carex leaves > Chamaedaphne calyculata stems > hummock Sphagnum = lawn/hollow Sphagnum, with exponential decay constant ( k) values generally ranging from 0.05 to 0.37 and continuous-quality model initial quality ( q 0 ) values ranging from 1.0 (arbitrarily set for Typha leaves) to 0.7 ( Sphagnum). In general, surface decay rates were slowest at the bog hummock site, which had the lowest water table, and in the beaver pond, which was inundated, and fastest at the fens. The continuous-quality model site decomposition parameter ( u 0 ) ranged from 0.80 to 0.17. Analysis of original litter samples for carbon, nitrogen and proximate fractions revealed a relatively poor explanation of decomposition rates, as defined by k and q 0 , compared to most well-drained ecosystems. Three litters, roots of sedge and a shrub and Typha leaves, were placed at depths of 10, 30 and 60 cm at the sites. Decomposition rates decreased with depth at each site, with k means of 0.15, 0.08 and 0.05 y−1 at 10, 30 and 60 cm, respectively, and u 0 of 0.25, 0.13 and 0.07. These differences are primarily related to the position of the water table at each site and to a lesser extent the cooler temperatures in the lower layers of the peat. The distinction between bog and fen was less important than the position of the water table. These results show that we can characterize decomposition rates of surface litter in northern peatlands, but given the large primary productivity below-ground in these ecosystems, and the differential rates of decomposition with depth, subsurface input and decomposition of organic matter is an important and relatively uncertain attribute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction–oxidation (redox) state of peatland pore waters plays an important role in many peatland biogeochemical processes. Recent research has also shown that the interface between ecosystems, or the ecotone, may be responsible for a disproportionate amount of biogeochemical activity when material and/or energy is hydrologically transported between ecosystems. The purpose of this research was to examine the spatiotemporal dynamics of redox conditions across two geomorphically distinct Boreal Precambrian Shield upland–peatland ecotones to determine the spatial and temporal scales at which these ecotones may be important. Pore water chemistry of iron and sulphur species was monitored across two upland–peatland ecotones in northwestern Ontario in conjunction with hydrological measurements under both stormflow and nonstormflow conditions. In addition, one upland–peatland ecotone was instrumented to make continuous measurements of in situ redox potential (Eh) over a 12-day period to determine whether measurements at a high temporal scale could provide additional insights into the transfer of nutrients across the upland–peatland interface. Results indicated that hydrology—specifically, groundwater flowpath and the strength of the hydrological connection between upland and peatland—determined the spatial extent of the ecotone as a biogeochemical hotspot. In situ Eh measurements showed that these ecotones may be most important over a scale of only several hours and are largely affected by lateral hydrological flows from the upland. The role of both hot spots and hot moments in biogeochemistry must be considered to accurately estimate the ability of a single ecosystem to process chemical inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem respiration (ER) is an important but poorly understood part of the carbon (C) budget of peatlands and is controlled primarily by the thermal and hydrologic regimes. To establish the relative importance of these two controls for a large ombrotrophic bog near Ottawa, Canada, we analyzed ER from measurements of nighttime net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) determined by eddy covariance technique. Measurements were made from May to October over five years, 1998 to 2002. Ecosystem respiration ranged from less than 1 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1 in spring (May) and fall (late October) to 2–4 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1 during mid-summer (July-August). As anticipated, there was a strong relationship between ER and peat temperatures ( r2 = 0.62). Q10 between 5° to 15°C varied from 2.2 to 4.2 depending upon the choice of depth where temperature was measured and location within a hummock or hollow. There was only a weak relationship between ER and water-table depth ( r2 = 0.11). A laboratory incubation of peat cores at different moisture contents showed that CO2 production was reduced by drying in the surface samples, but there was little decrease in production due to drying from below a depth of 30 cm. We postulate that the weak correlation between ER and water table position in this peatland is primarily a function of the bog being relatively dry, with water table varying between 30 and 75 cm below the hummock tops. The dryness gives rise to a complex ER response to water table involving i) compensations between production of CO2 in the upper and lower peat profile as the water table falls and ii) the importance of autotrophic respiration, which is relatively independent of water-table position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FLooded Uplands Dynamics EXperiment (FLUDEX) was designed to assess the impact of reservoir creation on carbon cycling in boreal forests by (a) determining whether production of the greenhouse gases (GHG) carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) in reservoirs is related to the amount of organic carbon (OC) stored in the flooded landscape, (b) examining temporal trends in GHG production during initial stages of flooding, and (c) considering the net difference between GHG fluxes before and after flooding to estimate the true effect of reservoir creation on atmospheric GHG levels. Three forested sites that varied in the amount of OC stored in soils and vegetation (30,870–45,860 kg C ha–1) were experimentally flooded from June to September in 1999–2001. Throughout the study, net CO2 and CH4 production in all three reservoirs was not related to overall site OC storage. During the 1st flooding season, net CO2 production in the three reservoirs was 703–797 kg C ha–1, but it decreased during the 2nd and 3rd flooding seasons to between 408 and 479 kg C ha–1. However, CH4 production increased in all reservoirs with each flooding season, from about 3.2–4.6 kg C ha–1 in 1999 to 12.8–24.9 kg C ha–1 in 2000 and 29.7–35.2 kg C ha–1 in 2001. Over the long term, effects of boreal reservoir creation on atmospheric GHG levels may be largely due to net changes in CH4 cycling between the undisturbed and flooded ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the southern boreal forest (Québec, Canada), tree harvesting is a major disturbance affecting the dominant black spruce (Picea mariana) stands already suffering from naturally recurrent insect and fire disturbances. Although recovery of the spruce forest after an insect infestation or a fire is possible under current site conditions, it is less likely when both types of disturbance occur during a short period of time. The addition of yet another disturbance, such as tree harvesting, can thus have catastrophic consequences. We analyzed the impact of three successive disturbances—tree harvesting, insect infestation, and fire—on the regeneration of boreal spruce–moss forests within a period of approximately 50 years. The spruce forests were harvested in the 1940s and the 1950s. Recovery from the logging consisted of advance regeneration (spruce layers less than 1 m high that were left intact during clear-cuts), which was burned in 1991. The vegetation cover (mostly heath and lichen species) and soil conditions (acidic, nutrient-poor podzolic soils developed from coarse materials) of the postfire sites that we studied were similar. Stand structure and tree regeneration were documented from large quadrats (0.25 ha) using age, size, and tree ring data from postlogged and postfire spruce. At an early stage of development, the growing advance regeneration was damaged by insect defoliators in the late 1970s and the mid-1980s, and several trees died a few years before the 1991 fire. The successive disturbances considerably reduced the number of seed-bearers, leading to the collapse of postfire regeneration and a shift to parkland. Through a successional trajectory far from the expected trend for boreal forests influenced by single disturbance, the shift resulted in the formation of divergent plant communities. The development of divergent communities at the landscape scale is generally overlooked due to their small size. They indicate, however, the weak resilience of boreal forests faced with cascading perturbations, which are likely to increase in intensively logged areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We measured net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) (NEE) during wet and dry summers (2000 and 2001) across a range of plant communities at Mer Bleue, a large peatland near Ottawa, southern Ontario, Canada. Wetland types included ombrotrophic bog hummocks and hollows, mineral-poor fen, and beaver pond margins. NEE was significantly different among the sites in both years, but rates of gross photosynthesis did not vary spatially even though species composition at the sites was variable. Soil respiration rates were very different across sites and dominated interannual variability in summer NEE within sites. During the dry summer of 2001, net CO2 uptake was significantly smaller, and most locations switched from a net sink to a source of CO2 under a range of levels of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). The wetter areas—poor fen and beaver pond margin—had the largest rates of CO2 uptake and smallest rates of respiratory loss during the dry summer. Communities dominated by ericaceous shrubs (bog sites) maintained similar rates of gross photosynthesis between years; by contrast, the sedge-dominated areas (fen sites) showed signs of early senescence under drought conditions. Water table position was the strongest control on respiration in the drier summer, whereas surface peat temperature explained most of the variability in the wetter summer. Q 10 temperature-respiration quotients averaged 1.6 to 2.2. The ratio between maximum photosynthesis and respiration ranged from 3.7:1 in the poor fen to 1.2:1 at some bog sites; it declined at all sites in the drier summer owing to greater respiration rates relative to photosynthesis in evergreen shrub sites and a change in both processes in sedge sites. Our ability to predict ecosystem responses to changing climate depends on a more complete understanding of the factors that control NEE across a range of peatland plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the natural regeneration of an ombrotrophic peatland (Cacouna bog) located in southern Québec that was disturbed by peat mining and other anthropogenic activities over a 200-year period. Using an extensive collection of historical documents, as well as dendrochronological data, we reconstructed the history of the peatland. We also sampled vegetation and environmental variables, and integrated the data in a geographic information system. More than 60% of the total area of the bog was mined between 1942 and 1975, and 98 km of ditches were dug to drain the site. The peatland lost 34% of its initial peat volume between 1946 and 1998. Although the bog was severely disturbed, the spontaneous revegetation of the site by vascular plants was successful (90%–100% cover). However, only 10% of the total mined area has been recolonized by Sphagnum species, mainly because drainage ditches are still operational and contribute to drying out the bog. Water table level, peat deposit thickness, and pH are abiotic factors strongly influencing the vegetation composition in the bog. Spatial and historical factors are also important components in this study since they explain, either alone or in interaction with abiotic factors, 44% of the variation of the species data. The intensity of mining activities and the pattern of abandonment of mined sectors strongly influenced abiotic factors, which in turn affected the revegetation process. Even if the Sphagnum cover of the bog is low, the rapid “recovery” of the vegetation cover in the peatland indicates that after the reestablishment of an appropriate hydrological regime, a highly disturbed peatland has a considerable potential for regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To test the hypothesis that long-term peat accumulation is related to contemporary carbon flux dynamics, we present the Peat Decomposition Model (PDM), a new model of long-term peat accumulation. Decomposition rates of the deeper peat are directly related to observable decomposition rates of fresh vegetation litter. Plant root effects (subsurface oxygenation and fresh litter inputs) are included. PDM considers two vegetation types, vascular and nonvascular, with different decomposition rates and aboveground and belowground litter input rates. We used PDM to investigate the sensitivities of peat accumulation in bogs and fens to productivity, root:shoot ratio, tissue decomposability, root and water table depths, and climate. Warmer and wetter conditions are more conducive to peat accumulation. Bogs are more sensitive than fens to climate conditions. Cooler and drier conditions lead to the lowest peat accumulation when productivity is more temperature sensitive than decomposition rates. We also compare peat age–depth profiles to field data. With a very general parameterization, PDM fen and bog age–depth profiles were similar to data from the the most recent 5000 years at three bog cores and a fen core in eastern Canada, but they overestimated accumulation at three other bog cores in that region. The model cannot reliably predict the amount of fen peat remaining from the first few millennia of a peatland's development. This discrepancy may relate to nonanalogue, early postglacial climatic and nutrient conditions for rich-fen peat accumulation and to the fate of this fen peat material, which is overlain by a bog as the peatland evolves, a common hydroseral succession in northern peatlands. Because PDM sensitivity tests point to these possible factors, we conclude that the static model represents a framework that shows a consistent relationship between contemporary productivity and fresh-tissue decomposition rates and observed long-term peat accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permafrost thaw resulting from climate warming may dramatically change the succession and carbon dynamics of northern ecosystems. To examine the joint effects of regional temperature and local species changes on peat accumulation following thaw, we studied peat accumulation across a regional gradient of mean annual temperature (MAT). We measured aboveground net primary production (AGNPP) and decomposition over 2 years for major functional groups and used these data to calculate a simple index of net annual aboveground peat accumulation. In addition, we collected cores from six adjacent frozen and thawed bog sites to document peat accumulation changes following thaw over the past 200 years. Aboveground biomass and decomposition were more strongly controlled by local succession than regional climate. AGNPP for some species differed between collapse scars and associated permafrost plateaus and was influenced by regional MAT. A few species, such as Picea mariana trees on frozen bogs and Sphagnum mosses in thawed bogs, sequestered a disproportionate amount of peat; in addition, changes in their abundance following thaw changed peat accumulation. 210Pb-dated cores indicated that peat accumulation doubles following thaw and that the accumulation rate is affected by historical changes in species during succession. Peat accumulation in boreal peatlands following thaw was controlled by a complex mix of local vegetation changes, regional climate, and history. These results suggest that northern ecosystems may show responses more complex than large releases of carbon during transient warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] BSP) is the most dominant forest ecosystem in the North American boreal region. There are at least two contrasting boreal black spruce forest communities: open-canopy black spruce overstory with Sphagnum ground cover (BSSP) and closed-canopy black spruce overstory with feathermoss ground cover (BSFM). The objectives of this study were (a) to compare net primary production (NPP) and light-use efficiency (LUE) for the two contrasting black spruce communities, and (b) to quantify the contribution of different vegetation strata (bryophytes, understory, overstory, and belowground) to total NPP and LUE in a mature black spruce forest stand in central Saskatchewan, Canada.Total NPP for the BSFM community (446 g biomass m?2 y?1) was significantly greater (P = 0.04) than the BSSP community (276 g biomass m?2 y?1). Bryophyte and understory NPP together comprised the greatest fraction of total (overstory, understory, bryophytes, and belowground) NPP in the BSSP community (51%), whereas overstory NPP comprised the largest fraction of total NPP (86%) for the BSFM community. Overstory LUE was similar (P = 0.87) for the two communities (0.20–0.21 g MJ?1 annual absorbed photosynthetic active radiation [APAR]), but ecosystem LUE was significantly greater (P = 0.03) for the BSFM community (0.20 g MJ?1 annual APAR) than the BSSP community (0.15 g MJ?1 annual APAR). The results from this study demonstrate that all vegetation components must be measured to accurately estimate NPP and LUE of boreal black spruce ecosystems, and community-specific LUE coefficients increase the accuracy of LUE models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]