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Results of dendrochronological analysis of subfossil pine (Pinus sylvestris) buried in the Imszar raised bog deposits (NE Poland, Podlasie Region), were compared with multiproxy analysis of peat deposits (pollen and Non Pollen Palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, Cladocera, and geochemical analyses). The peat (3.3 m thick) accumulation started in the Allerod interstadial. The oldest pine tree population grew in this peatland in ca 6790–6530 cal yrs. BP: floating chronology (determined with the wiggle–matching method) covers this period is 255 years long. The growth of trees on the fen was related to the drying out of the fen at that time, which caused the break in peat accumulation (hiatus). Apart from numerous fallen trees excavated during the peat extraction, a horizon of vertical in situ tree trunks ingrown to the ground, were exposed during peat exploitation. On the basis of a dozen or so trees, a second, “dead forest” floating chronology 197 years long, was compiled with a time range of ca 4255-4060 cal yrs. BP. The youngest, third pine floating chronology (310 years long), elaborated on the basis of ex situ tree trunks, covers the time frame of ca 3130-2820 cal yrs. BP. Multiproxy analyzes of fen deposits indicate that the three stage colonization of the peatland by bog pine was associated with the periods of warming and overdrying in the climate of the Holocene, during which the groundwater table in the Imszar peatland significantly lowered. In turn, the dying off stages of the pine trees occurred in the phases of climate humidity growth, during which the groundwater level in the fen raised. They are well correlated with analogous bog pine germination and dying-off phases in the other European peatlands.

The exploitation of peatlands in Estonia, which began in the 17th century, has degraded them to a great extent. Consequently, cutover and drained peatlands have become the sources of CO2. Global warming has led to a need for policies focusing on the protection and restoration of drained and degraded peatlands. Hence, to compare the effect/progress of restoration with the past pristine ecosystem baseline before the peatland was destroyed by cutting, we examined a peat core from North Estonia using chronology based on 14C by analyzing several proxies in high resolution including testate amoebae, plant macrofossils, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, and diatoms. The results revealed a striking ecological contrast between the pristine (ca. 2 kyrs) and restored state (currently) of the peatland. The pristine state was characterized by a domination of Sphagnum fuscum/rubellum and Archerella flavum, suggesting that extraction area of Hara peatland was a wet and stable ombrotrophic bog. As a result of peat exploitation, deposits comprising the last ca. 2 kyrs were cut. In turn an important feature of the restored section of the peat core was the domination of a green algae (Chlorophyta) and Eriophorum vaginatum as well as testate amoebae species Arcella discoides, which is considered an indicator of hydrological instability. The main difference between the predisturbed and restored parts of the peat core section was that a minor cover of peat-forming Sphagnum and mixotrophic testate amoebae was present in the top inundated part. We state that a healthy raised bog—the target of restoration—should consist abundant mixotrophic testate amoebae such as Archerella flavum and Hyalosphenia papilio which are good indicators of a well-functioning Sphagnum bog ecosystem even if the Sphagnum species differ from the reconstructed ecological baseline conditions. Our study highlights the extensive damage caused to the peat-forming ombrotrophic peatland by extraction and how difficult, challenging, and time-consuming is the process of ecological restoration.

Peat bogs play a special role in Finnish cultural history, climate policy, economic life, and art. This article examines the performative meaning-making of peat and aims to rewrite with and through art and cultural heritage the human-centered endeavors of peatland and to create parallel ways of being with the materiality of peat. The article consists of three partly intertwined discourses: 1) the mythical pre-modern bog scene found, 2) this scene transformed in modern times into a site of control and profit, and 3) human-centered peat work is challenged by the demands of climate actions, the Anthropocene, and the posthuman landscape.

Sphagnum mosses are used for biomonitoring air pollution. In 2019, samples were taken from two peat bogs areas in Germany and two in Slovenia to determine differences in their levels of potentially toxic elements (PTE). The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) lockdown caused a global decrease in air pollution. Therefore, we repeated the monitoring in 2020 to see if this was also reflected in moss composition. Despite the variability within bogs and the areas, it is possible to distinguish the degree of air pollution between the two countries. In comparison to 2019, the German mosses have higher contents of almost all elements and the Slovenian are enriched in Cr and Hg in 2020. Comparison of the PTE contents, their ratios to Sc, and the enrichment factors show that the COVID-19 lockdown led to a decrease in long-range pollutants bound to finest particles and increased the influence of local soil dusting. The effect prevailed over lower precipitation in 2020 compared to 2019. Transport and industry continued to contribute significantly to contamination. Sphagnum mosses proved to be good indicators of the spatial and temporal extent of pollution. Even relatively short periods of lower air pollution are reflected in moss PTE contents.

Palaeoecological investigations, involving pollen analysis, dendrochronology, and radiocarbon dating of bog-pine, provide the basis for reconstruction of vegetation dynamics, landscape development, and human impact in two contrasting parts of lowland northern Connemara, western Ireland, namely Ballydoo and Derryeighter in the east, and Renvyle/Letterfrack/Cleggan at the Atlantic coast some 40 km to the west. The history of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is traced in detail. Standout features include the dominant role the tree played from the early Holocene onwards and especially at Ballydoo, its ability to grow on peat surfaces (so-called pine flush) over the course of several millennia during the mid-Holocene (centred on c. 5 ka), and its demise in a three-step fashion to become regionally extinct at c. 2.3 ka. The factors influencing these developments, including climate change, are discussed. Another natural phenomenon, namely the spread of blanket bog, is shown to be an on-going process since the early mid-Holocene, with accelerated spread taking place during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The course of human impact, as reflected in pollen records and in archaeological field monuments, including megaliths and prehistoric stone walls, is reconstructed in detail.

Peatlands are carbon dioxide (CO2) sinks that, in parallel, release methane (CH4). The peatland carbon (C) balance depends on the interplay of decomposer and CH4-cycling microbes, vegetation, and environmental conditions. These interactions are susceptible to the changes that occur along a successional gradient from vascular plant-dominated systems to Sphagnum moss-dominated systems. Changes similar to this succession are predicted to occur from climate change. Here, we investigated how microbial and plant communities are interlinked with each other and with ecosystem C cycling along a successional gradient on a boreal land uplift coast. The gradient ranged from shoreline to meadows and fens, and further to bogs. Potential microbial activity (aerobic CO2 production; CH4 production and oxidation) and biomass were greatest in the early successional meadows, although their communities of aerobic decomposers (fungi, actinobacteria), methanogens, and methanotrophs did not differ from the older fens. Instead, the functional microbial communities shifted at the fen–bog transition concurrent with a sudden decrease in C fluxes. The successional patterns of decomposer versus CH4-cycling communities diverged at the bog stage, indicating strong but distinct microbial responses to Sphagnum dominance and acidity. We highlight young meadows as dynamic sites with the greatest microbial potential for C release. These hot spots of C turnover with dense sedge cover may represent a sensitive bottleneck in succession, which is necessary for eventual long-term peat accumulation. The distinctive microbes in bogs could serve as indicators of the C sink function in restoration measures that aim to stabilize the C in the peat.

Comparative analysis of the composition of lipid biomarkers (n-alkanes and n-alkan-2-ones) in sphagnum mosses, herbaceous plants, heather dwarf shrubs, and peats of high bogs of Western Siberia was carried out by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. It was shown that different marsh plant species differ in ratios between long-chain n-alkanes, and this fact makes it possible to diagnose the source of these compounds in peat. It was found that sphagnum peats occurring in high bogs formed in different natural and climatic conditions differ in the distribution of n-alkan-2-ones, which can be used for the reconstruction of paleoclimatic conditions.

Fundamental differences in the formation of the organic matter of peat deposits were revealed based on an example the Ilas massif, which is typical of dystrophic peat bogs of the southern White Sea type, by comparison with peat deposits in Western Siberia and the Republic of Belarus were revealed. It was found that peat can serve as an informative biomarker of the state of peat bog ecosystems. It was revealed that the temperature regime under conditions of a temperate continental climate is favorable for the humification processes of plant materials, which are responsible for a higher degree of decomposition, an increased concentration of condensed structures in biotransformation products, and the presence of water-soluble sugars in the natural matrix of peat. Changes in hydrological conditions, in particular, drainage, exert a similar effect. Under the influence of the cold climate of the European North of Russia, the composition of extractive substances produced by peat-forming plants is depleted, and the biogeotransformation processes of plant material during the formation of oligotrophic peat deposits slow down.

Coeval changes in the reconstructed bog surface wetness and the pollen record of a peat sequence extracted from an ombrothropic bog (Calul de Piatra, 1630 m, Apuseni Mountains) allowed the natural ...

The „Golczewskie Uroczysko” nature reserve was established on 5 May 2004 to protect the raised peat bog and the dystrophic Lake Żabie with its surrounding transitional bog and adjacent forest complexes containing valuable plants. In May, July and October 2006 the research of odonates (Odonata) fauna has been conducted in this area. A total of 575 odonates individuals belonging to 29 species (366 imagines, 152 larvae, 57 exuviae) were collected and among these 489 specimens belonging to 28 species were collected in Lake Żabie, 26 specimens belonging to 7 species on the beat boog, 52 specimens belonging to 3 species in flooded alder forest and 8 specimens belonging to 2 species were collected in ditches in the forest. The eurytopic species were dominated with substantial parts of tyrphobiontic and tyrphophilous species.

The paper presents original authors’ data on the geochemical aspects and peat deposits and conditions of their accumulation at the three oligotrophic bogs in the south taiga subzone of West Siberia. These data were acquired with regard to a complex of factors impacting the development of peat deposits: the geomorphological setting in the landscape, the lithochemical composition of the underlying rocks, the physicochemical properties of the peat, and the contents of chemical elements and their distribution in the peat profiles. The impact of the geomorphological factor is reflected in the different ratios of peat layer thicknesses in the peat deposits of different type. The composition of the underlying rocks affected the concentration of elements and their distribution within the peat profile. The main element associations in the peat deposits of the bogs are identified using the method of principal components. The distribution of the elements in the peat deposits is shown to be differentially influenced by a number of factors: endogenous supply of elements from the underlying rocks and groundwater (Ca, Fe, Ti, Ni, Cu, Co, Cr, Ba, Cd, and Sr), the activity of redox processes (Mn, Pb, and Fe), redox-independent processes of the dissolution and mobilization of elements by plant roots (Ca, Cu, and Fe), the rate of peat decomposition (Mn, Pb, and the C/N ratio), the water level in the peatlands (C/N ratio), and atmospheric supply of anthropogenic compounds as a result of human activities (Pb).

Fungi are essential in aquatic ecosystems, transforming organic matter into energy sources that support higher trophic levels. However, researchers do not yet know the extent of fungal diversity and species distribution within these important ecosystems. Therefore, we examined the detrital fungal communities from contrasting aquatic habitats (temperate peatlands and streams) to provide an in-depth inventory and greater understanding of how these communities differ. Fine submerged detritus or substrate on or beneath the stream bed were collected from 6 sites. Fungal cultures were isolated from samples collected in May, July/August, and November from 2 sites in 2014 and 4 sites in 2016. Culture-independent analyses were conducted on 42 environmental samples collected in November 2016. Results indicated that peatland and stream fungal communities were taxonomically diverse, phylogenetically distinct, and harbored many unknown taxa from the kingdom Fungi. Specifically, stream habitats were more species-rich, in both number of species and phylogenetic diversity, compared to peatland habitats. In addition, fungal species and phylogenetic distribution within most major fungal classes were distinct between peatland and stream fungal communities. In light of global climate change, habitat loss, and water pollution, it has become increasingly important to examine these understudied and essential fungal communities within these ecosystems.

Purpose The analysis of n-alkanes in palaeoenvironmental studies of peatlands is mainly limited to ombrogenous peatlands which are a rare feature in the environment. Using n-alkane and plant macrofossil analysis, we have tracked changes in the environment in the valley of a large Central European river. We tested the possibilities for applying such studies to low-moor bogs which are the most commonly occurring type of bog in the world. Materials and methods Representative peat samples were taken from two profiles in a peatland located in the Vistula Valley (southern Poland), and they were analysed for the occurrence and distribution of biomarkers. The distribution of n-alkanes was determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The botanical composition of the samples was determined by analysis of plant macrofossil remains, and the degree of peat decomposition was also determined. Results and discussion Samples of low-moor peat were characterised by a prevalence of medium- and long-chain n-alkane homologues, which is typical for higher plants. The variable values of the CPI, CPI (25–31), and the C23/C25 ratio have provided information on the stages of formation of the Zapadź bog. The source of n-alkane differentiation is vegetation change related to palaeohydrological dynamics and palaeoenvironmental conditions within the peatland. Conclusions We have shown that analysis of n-alkanes can be successfully used in low-moor bogs as a complement to palaeobotanical and palaeozoological methods. The bringing together of these types of research enables changes in the ecosystems of large river valleys to be tracked.

Climate warming in northern ecosystems is triggering widespread permafrost thaw, during which deep soil nutrients, such as nitrogen, could become available for biological uptake. Permafrost thaw shift frozen organic matter to a saturated state, which could impede nutrient uptake. We assessed whether soil nitrogen can be accessed by the deep roots of vascular plants in thermokarst bogs, potentially allowing for increases in primary productivity. We conducted an ammonium uptake experiment on Carex aquatilis Wahlenb. roots excavated from thermokarst bogs in interior Alaska. Ammonium uptake capacity was compared between deep and shallow roots. We also quantified differences in root ammonium uptake capacity and plant size characteristics (plant aboveground and belowground biomass, maximum shoot height, and maximum root length) between the actively-thawing margin and the centre of each thermokarst bog as a proxy for time-following-thaw. Deep roots had greater ammonium uptake capacity than shallow roots, while rooting depth, but not belowground biomass, was positively correlated with aboveground biomass. Although there were no differences in aboveground biomass between the margin and centre, our findings suggest that plants can benefit from investing in the acquisition of resources near the vertical thaw front. Our results suggest that deep roots of C. aquatilis can contribute to plant nitrogen uptake and are therefore able to tolerate anoxic conditions in saturated thermokarst bogs. This work furthers our understanding of how subarctic and wetland plants respond to warming and how enhanced plant biomass production might help offset ecosystem carbon release with future permafrost thaw.

The response of peatlands to climate change can be highly variable. Through understanding past changes we can better predict the response of peatlands to future climate change. We use a multi-proxy approach to reconstruct the surface wetness and carbon accumulation of the Mukhrino mire (Western Siberia), describing the development of the mire since peat formation in the early Holocene, around 9360 cal. year BP. The mire started as a rich fen which initiated after paludification of a spruce forest (probably in response to a wetter climate), while the Mukhrino mire progressed to ombrotrophic bog conditions (8760 cal. year BP). This transition coincided with the intensive development of mires in Western Siberia and was associated with active carbon accumulation (31 g m(−2) year(−1)). The ecosystem underwent a change to a tree-covered state around 5860 cal. year BP, likely in response to warming and possible droughts and this accompanied low carbon accumulation (12 g m(2) year(−1)). If the future climate will be warmer and wetter, then regional mires are likely to remain a carbon sink, alternatively, a reversion to the wooded state with reduced carbon sink strength is possible. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01545-7.

Mire ecosystems in Western Siberia play a significant role in the environment and sustain ecological balance in the biosphere. The aim of the research was to study the chemical and biological processes of mire pedogenesis and the influence of this process on the formation of the composition of bog water and its migration to surface waters. The research was carried out in the southern taiga zone of Western Siberia in a small catchment of the Klyuch River within a catena of geochemically linked mire landscapes. The chemical and microbiological properties of the peat soils were studied in autonomous, transitional, and accumulative geomorphic positions; their influence on the formation of chemical composition of bog water was determined in each position. It was shown that a predominance of certain plant associations (oligotrophic sphagnum, cotton grass, or sedges) caused the accumulation of organic matter of significantly different chemical compositions. The biochemical activity could be traced throughout the peat profiles and affected significantly the chemical composition of bog water. Bog water had certain individual chemical properties in each landscape position. The factors affecting the migration of substances and the removal of chemical compounds beyond the studied profile were determined. The overall removal of macroelements with runoff flows during the growing season amounted up to 4843 kg/km2 for Ca2+, 51.7 kg/km2 for total Fe, 1419.0 kg/km2 for $${\text{SO}}_{4}^{{2 - }},$$ 2.253 × 10–3 kg/km2 for Pb, 10.037 × 10–3 kg/km2 for Cu, 317.29 × 10–3 kg/km2 for Mn, 41.191 × 10–3 kg/km2 for Zn, 8.151 × 10–3 kg/km2 for Ni, and 29.651 × 10–3 kg/km2 for Ti. The removal of organic matter reached 583.2 kg C/km2. The influence of bog water (especially, its organic components) on the water composition in the Klyuch River was clearly shown. Our data on the chemical composition of bog water in the system of geochemically linked more landscapes and on the bog water migration from the boggy catchment can be used to forecast the geochemical situation in the surface waters of boggy territories.

Water table fluctuations in peatlands are closely coupled with the local climate setting and drive critical ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling. In Minnesota, USA, peatlands cover ten percent of the surface area, approximately 2.5 million hectares, some of which are actively managed for forest products. To explore the relationship between peatland water tables and precipitation, long-term data (1961 to 2019) were used from the Marcell Experimental Forest in northern Minnesota. Starting in 1961, water table data from seven peatlands, including two types of peatlands (bogs and fens), were measured. We used the Theil-Sen estimator to test for monotonic trends in mean monthly water table elevations for individual peatlands and monthly precipitation. Water levels in bogs were both more variable and had mean water table elevations that were closer to the surface. Individual trends of water table elevations differed among peatlands. Water table elevations increased over time in three of the bogs studied and decreased over time in two of the bogs studied. Trends within fens were notably nonlinear across time. No significant linear trend was found for mean monthly precipitation between 1961 and 2019. These results highlight differences in peatlands types, local physiography, and the importance of understanding how changes in long-term dynamics coupled with changing current conditions will influence the effects of water table fluctuations on ecosystem services. The variability of water table elevations in bogs poses potential difficulties in modeling these ecosystems or creating adaptive management plans. KEYWORDS: Peatlands; Hydrology; Water tables; Bogs; Fens; Monitoring; Minnesota; Climate Change

The earliest appearance of elk/wapiti (Cervus canadensis) in eastern North America is not thoroughly documented due to the small number of directly dated remains. Until recently, no absolute dates on elk bone older than 10,000 14C yr BP (11,621 to 11,306 calibrated years (cal yr) BP) were known from this region. The partial skeleton of the Tope Elk was discovered in 2017 during commercial excavation of peat deposits from a small bog in southeastern Medina County, Ohio, United States. Subsequent examination of the remains revealed the individual to be a robust male approximately 8.5 years old at death. The large size of this individual is compared with late Holocene specimens and suggests diminution of elk since the late Pleistocene. Two accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon assays on bone collagen samples taken from the scapula and metacarpal of this individual returned ages of 10,270 ± 30 14C yr BP (Beta-477478) (12,154 to 11,835 cal yr BP) and 10,260 ± 30 14C yr BP (Beta-521748) (12,144 to 11,830 cal yr BP), respectively. These results place Cervus canadensis in the terminal Pleistocene of the eastern woodlands and near the establishment of the mixed deciduous forest biome over much of the region. This early temporal placement also situates this early elk as closely following the last representatives of now-extinct megafauna such as the American mastodon (Mammut americanum) and contemporary with the Late Paleoindian inhabitants of the region.

Boreal peatland forests have relatively low species diversity and thus impacts of climate change on one or more dominant species could shift ecosystem function. Despite abundant soil water availability, shallowly rooted vascular plants within peatlands may not be able to meet foliar demand for water under drought or heat events that increase vapor pressure deficits while reducing near surface water availability, although concurrent increases in atmospheric CO2 could buffer resultant hydraulic stress. We assessed plant water relations of co-occurring shrub (primarily Rhododendron groenlandicum and Chamaedaphne calyculata) and tree (Picea mariana and Larix laricina) species prior to, and in response to whole ecosystem warming (0 to +9°C) and elevated CO2 using 12.8-m diameter open-top enclosures installed within an ombrotrophic bog. Water relations (water potential [Ψ], turgor loss point, foliar and root hydraulic conductivity) were assessed prior to treatment initiation, then Ψ and peak sap flow (trees only) assessed after 1 or 2 years of treatments. Under the higher temperature treatments, L. laricina Ψ exceeded its turgor loss point, increased its peak sap flow, and was not able to recover Ψ overnight. In contrast, P. mariana operated below its turgor loss point and maintained constant Ψ and sap flow across warming treatments. Similarly, C. calyculata Ψ stress increased with temperature while R. groenlandicum Ψ remained at pretreatment levels. The more anisohydric behavior of L. laricina and C. calyculata may provide greater net C uptake with warming, while the more conservative P. mariana and R. groenlandicum maintained greater hydraulic safety. These latter species also responded to elevated CO2 by reduced Ψ stress, which may also help limit hydraulic failure during periods of extreme drought or heat in the future. Along with Sphagnum moss, the species-specific responses of peatland vascular communities to drier or hotter conditions will shape boreal peatland composition and function in the future.

Peat bogs are among the most threatened habitats in Central Europe. They are characterized by stagnant water with low pH and lower nutrient content compared to the surrounding habitats. The flora and fauna of peat bogs comprised of many habitat specialist and rare species. We explored the differences in spider fauna of European spruce and Scots pine forests. Furthermore, we assessed the effect of microhabitat diversity in the bog forests of the Poiana Stampei peat bog complex, Bucovina, Romania. We collected numerous rare and cold-adapted species. .We found a strong effect of forest type, presumably due to the different microclimatic conditions of the forests. European spruce forests had lower species richness of ground-dwelling fauna than Scots pine forests; however, we found contradictory results for vegetation-dwelling species richness. Hummocks had a more positive effect on the ground-dwelling spiders of Scots pine than in European spruce forests, presumably due to the more open structure of sphagnum hummocks than ground level. However, this effect was negative for vegetation dwellers. The cold-adapted species with restricted ranges are vulnerable to climate change, and bogs may serve as important micro-refugia for them. Central European bogs are isolated and highly threatened by anthropogenic activities, such as drainage, peat extraction, and eutrophication. The deterioration habitat quality of peat bogs will result in a significant loss in the regional species pool of the Carpathians.

Mosses need to be incorporated into Earth system models to better simulate peatland functional dynamics under the changing environment. Sphagnum mosses are strong determinants of nutrient, carbon, and water cycling in peatland ecosystems. However, most land-surface models do not include Sphagnum or other mosses as represented plant functional types (PFTs), thereby limiting predictive assessment of peatland responses to environmental change. In this study, we introduce a moss PFT into the land model component (ELM) of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) by developing water content dynamics and nonvascular photosynthetic processes for moss. The model was parameterized and independently evaluated against observations from an ombrotrophic forested bog as part of the Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) project. The inclusion of a Sphagnum PFT with some Sphagnum-specific processes in ELM allows it to capture the observed seasonal dynamics of Sphagnum gross primary production (GPP) albeit with an underestimate of peak GPP. The model simulated a reasonable annual net primary production (NPP) for moss but with less interannual variation than observed, and it reproduced aboveground biomass for tree PFTs and stem biomass for shrubs. Different species showed highly variable warming responses under both ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and elevated CO2 altered the warming response direction for the peatland ecosystem. Microtopography is critical: Sphagnum mosses on hummocks and hollows were simulated to show opposite warming responses (NPP decreasing with warming on hummocks but increasing in hollows), and hummock Sphagnum was modeled to have a strong dependence on water table height. The inclusion of this new moss PFT in global ELM simulations may provide a useful foundation for the investigation of northern peatland carbon exchange, enhancing the predictive capacity of carbon dynamics across the regional and global scales.

This article presents the results of studies of the activity of radionuclides in peat-bog profiles of the European subarctic of Russia. Two peat profiles were collected in different areas of the Arkhangelsk region. The peat cores were used to determine 210Pb, 137Cs, 241Am, 239Pu, 240Pu, 238U, and 234U content. To estimate the relationship between radionuclide activity and physicochemical parameters of peat, the content of organic matter, water-soluble salts, carbonates and ash, and the pH of aqueous and salt extracts were studied. Radionuclide activity concentrations in peat samples were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), low-background semiconductor gamma spectrometry with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, and alpha spectrometry. The 210Pb chronology of peat cores was studied using a constant flow model based on the Monte Carlo simulation method. Comparison of 210Pb dating data showed that the position of the maximum activity peaks of anthropogenic radionuclides shifted along the peat profile. This is probably due to the relative mobility of different radionuclides in the peat massif. Measurement of the atomic ratio 240Pu/239Pu showed that the main sources of pollution in the peatlands of the European subarctic of Russia are global fallout from atmospheric tests from the 1950s through 1980 and fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986. This study shows that a complex of radioactive isotopes in peat deposits can provide valuable information on the environmental pollution loads of subarctic territories.

The rapidly collapsing glacial systems of the Alps produced a large number of melt-water lakes and mires after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the Late Glacial period. The Rhone-Aare-glacier system gave rise to large moorlands and lakes in the region of the Three Lakes Region of Western Switzerland. When moorlands are formed, they are efficient sinks of atmospheric carbon, but when transformed to agricultural land they are significant C sources. In addition, mires can be used as archives for reconstructing landscape evolution. We explored in more detail the dynamics of the landscape of the Three Lakes Region with a particular focus on the formation and degradation of mires. The Bernese part of the Three Lakes Region developed to become—after the optimisation of the water-levels of the Swiss Jura—the vegetable belt of Switzerland. The situation for agriculture, however, has now become critical due to an overexploitation of the peatland. Until c. 13 ka BP the entire region was hydrologically connected. An additional lake existed at the western end of the plain receiving sediments from the Aare river. Around 13 ka BP, this lake was isolated from the Aare river and completely silted up until c. 10 ka BP when a mire started to form. In the valley floor (‘Grosses Moos’), the meandering Aare and the varying level of the nearby lake of Neuchâtel caused a spatio-temporally patchy formation of mires (start of formation: 10–3 ka BP). Strong morphodynamics having high erosion and sedimentation rates and a high variability of the chemical composition of the deposited material prevailed during the early Holocene until c. 7.5 ka BP. The situation remained relatively quiet between 5 and 2 ka BP. However, during the last 2000 years the hydrodynamic and geomorphic activities have increased again. The optimisation of the Swiss Jura water-levels during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries enabled the transformation of moorland into arable land. As a consequence, the moorland strongly degraded. Mean annual C-losses in agricultural land are c. 4.9 t ha−1 and c. 2.4 t ha−1 in forests. Because forests limit, but not stop, the degradation of mires, agroforestry might be tested and propagated in future as alternative land-use systems for such sensitive areas.

Peat bogs of Europe are ecosystems with very specific extremely environmental conditions. Among peat bog water bodies are lakes, streams and hollows, which are characterized by strongly acidic and mineral poor water. However, the diversity of the inhabitants of the peat water environment is very poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to examine the water beetle diversity and species composition in the peat bog of Belarus. In total, 45 species of water beetles belonging to 3 families (Gyrinidae, Dytiscidae, Hydrophilidae) were sampled by entomological net. Among them specialised tyrphophilous species were Hydroporus erythrocephalus, H. incognitus, H. melanarius, H. obscurus, H. tristis, Ilybius aenescens, Rhantus sututellus, Enochrus affinis, E. ochropterus. A rather high diversity was recorded (Shannon index H’= 2.037–2.912). The highest diversity for water beetles was in lakes.

RESUMEN: Se estudió la vegetación turbosa de la provincia de Capitán Prat en la Región de Aisén, Patagonia chilena, levantando 204 censos de vegetación con metodología fitosociológica, con ellos se construyó una tabla inicial con 106 especies vegetales en su primera columna. Con metodología tradicional se ordenó esta tabla utilizando especies diferenciales y con estadística multivariada de clasificación y ordenación, se extrajo toda la información ecológica encerrada en ella. Se determinaron cuatro asociaciones vegetales turbosas: Gaultherio-Sphagnetum magellanici (turbera esfagnosa), Schoeno andinus-Lepidothamnetum fonkii (turbera esfagnosa de ciprés enano), Cortaderio egmontianae-Schoenetum andinus (turbera graminosa) y Drosero uniflorae-Donatietum fascicularis (turbera pulvinada). La tercera, Cortaderio egmontianae-Schoenetum andinus se propone como una asociación vegetal nueva. La similitud florística entre ellas fue alta, aun cuando pueden diferenciarse fácilmente por su fisonomía. El análisis multivariado de ordenación, sugiere que la disponibilidad hídrica y la temperatura, condicionados por el relieve y la altitud, son factores importantes en la diferenciación de las comunidades. Se concluye que de estas cuatro asociaciones dos, las turberas esfagnosa y de ciprés enano, corresponden a la región de los bosques magallánicos perennifolios, mientras que las otras dos, son avanzadas septentrionales de la Región de la Tundra magallánica, propia del hemisferio Sur, especialmente de Chile y Nueva Zelanda.

This paper presents selected results from efforts to date organic matter taken from deposits of three landslides in Poland’s Gorce Mts. i.e. the ones located below the Jaworzyna Kamienicka, Kudłoń and Góra Gębowa peaks. The material for dating was taken from two landslide peat bogs and one closed depression filled with mineral deposits. The ranges of the individual landslides were analysed by reference to a detailed terrain model as well as geophysical tests, while the organic samples collected were 14C radiocarbon-dated. The borehole drilled in the landslide below Jaworzyna Kamienicka reaches a depth of 2.2 m. It was from that profile that samples for 14C radiocarbon-dating, as well as palaeobotanical and geochemical study, were taken. The oldest deposits on the floor part of the peatland were dated to 8060±100 BP (8949 cal BP). The first level of gravels mixed with so-called organic chaff was dated to 7950±80 BP (8802 cal BP) and is deposited directly beneath a layer of peats dated to 75600±100 BP (8366 cal BP). Another important layer is of gravel and fragments of wood, 9 cm thick, deposited at a level dated to 3999±60 BP (4517 cal BP). Three boreholes were drilled in the peat bog below Kudłoń, with the oldest peat deposits at this site are dated to 5430±70 BP (6002 cal BP), and situated at a depth of 100‑80 cm. In the other two places deposits in the floor profile were dated to 3010±60 BP and 400±60 BP. No mineral levels nor levels with a high share of mineral parts were found. Into the landslide below Góra Gębowa eight boreholes were made within a closed depression filled with mineral deposits. A fragment of wood taken from borehole 5 at a depth of 2.2 m was dated to 8850±100 BP (9739 cal BP), while one from a depth of 1 m is associated with a date of 8070±100 BP (8959 cal BP). In turn, the floor of borehole 6, at a depth of 2.1 m was the source for a wood sample of determined age equal to 8440±110 BP (9329 cal BP). The oldest deposits in the Gorce Mts. are of a fen character and area aged 9500 ± 90 BP (11 143‑10 653 cal BP). They come from the Turbacz Range. The next landslide phase is confirmed by wood fragments from the landslide below Góra Gębowa (8850±100 BP, 9739 cal BP), and could also be linked with rise of C. avellana within forest structure, as well as with the period of intense mineral-material deposition reported from four places in Makowski Beskid Mts. A following phase of landslide formation is confirmed by data from Jaworzyna Kamienicka (8060±100 BP, 8949 cal BP) and Lake Zawadowskie (7947‑7685 cal BP, Buczek, 2019), and represents the effect of the increased humidity and cooling of the climate reported from the Western Carpathians by many researchers. The oldest deposits from the peat bog below Kudłoń date to 5430±70 BP (6002 cal BP). Such a result is consistent with the increase in organic matter in Lake Zawadowskie in this period (5420± 60 BP). The traces from that period recorded by Buczek (2019), and the dating of deposits beneath Kudłoń, may both indicate that a period 6.0‑5.5 ka cal BP was the next one in which morphogenetic activity in the Gorce Mts. increased. The formation of the Lelonek landslide (401 ±70 BP) could be treated as evidence of a next landslide-creation phase (Buczek, 2019) also gaining confirmation from Margielewski (2018). There is also a gravel-wood level in the core from Jaworzyna Kamiecka dated at 3999±60 BP; 4517 cal BP. Kołaczek et al. (2020) noted a major change of forest structure with increases of A. alba, F. sylvatica and C. betulus at ~4.0 ka BP (~4.5 ka cal BP). This attests to the period in question being one characterized by a high level of landslide activity. Comparison of all the latest data from the region in question sustains the conclusion that ~11.1 ka cal BP, ~9.7 cal BP, 8.6‑8.0 cal BP, ~6,0 cal BP and ~4.5 ka cal BP, 3.3‑2.5 cal BP and 1.75‑1.35 cal BP are all periods associated with intensified Holocene landslide movements in the Gorce Mountains.

Aims Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has high potential for analysing peat cores, but methodologies are deficient. We aimed for robust peat type classification and humification estimation. We also explored other factors affecting peat spectral properties. Methods We used two laboratory setups: VNIR (visible to near-infrared) and SWIR (shortwave infrared) for high resolution imaging of intact peat profiles with fen-bog transitions. Peat types were classified with support vector machines, indices were developed for von Post estimation, and K-means clustering was used to analyse stratigraphic patterns in peat quality. With separate experiments, we studied spectral effects of drying and oxidation. Results Despite major effects, oxidation and water content did not impede robust HSI classification. The accuracy between Carex peat and Sphagnum peat in validation was 80% with VNIR and 81% with SWIR data. The spectral humification indices had accuracies of 82% with VNIR and 56%. Stratigraphic HSI patterns revealed that 36% of peat layer shifts were inclined by over 20 degrees. Spectral indices were used to extrapolate visualisations of element concentrations. Conclusions HSI provided reliable information of basic peat quality and was useful in visual mapping, that can guide sampling for other analyses. HSI can manage large amounts of samples to widen the scope of detailed analysis beyond single profiles and it has wide potential in peat research beyond the exploratory scope of this paper. We were able to confirm the capacity of HSI to reveal shifts of peat quality, connected to ecosystem-scale change.