Seasonal variations in CO2 and CH4 fluxes of four different plant compositions of a Sphagnum-dominated Alpine peat bog

Two moss genera (Sphagnum and Polytrichum) were collected seasonally in two close (∼0.45 km distance) but environmentally different locations, an Open bog and a Spruce forest at Hala Izerska (the Izerskie Mts./SW Poland), for the stable isotope analyses of plant in-body sulfur. Simultaneously, surface water was collected in places of moss growth and along the creek discharging the bog, for stable isotope analysis of sulfate sulfur (5 locations/5 times in growing seasons). The δ34S value of the analyzed mosses varies from 3.99 to 10.24‰ for Sphagnum and from 4.18 to 6.48‰ for Polytrichum. The δ34S value of aqueous sulfate in creek waters, depending on location and season, ranges from 3.72 to 20.26‰. The significant correlation between the plant in-body sulfur concentration and the isotopic composition was observed for Sphagnum as well as loose correlation between δ34S of sulfates in surface water and moss in-body sulfur. The fractionation factor, possibly caused by two processes of sulfate assimilation by Sphagnum and sulfate reduction by bacteria, calculated based on Rayleigh's distillation model equals about 4‰. The high correlation and simultaneous increase of δ34S(SO42-) and δ13C(DIC) values downstream the creek discharging the bog suggest that the lighter isotopes of carbon and sulfur (12C and 32S) are preferentially removed, probably due to assimilation by plants. The present results imply the original signature of the source of sulfur in the environment is greatly altered by the biological activities in bog water.

Sphagnum

δ34S

Ombrotrophic

10.2343/geochemj.42.481

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Citations (15)

Seasonal methane dynamics in three temperate grasslands on peat

Plant and Soil (2012)

C. Schäfer Lars Elsgaard Carl Christian Hoffmann S. O. Petersen

Juncus

10.1007/s11104-012-1168-9

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Citations (45)

Stable carbon isotopic evidence of methane consumption and production in three alpine ecosystems on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Atmospheric Environment (2013)

Tomomichi Kato Keita Yamada Yanhong Tang Naohiro Yoshida Eitaro Wada

Methane Emissions

Qinghai lake

Carbon fibers

Terrestrial ecosystem

10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.05.010

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Citations (22)

Decomposition Rate of Peat-Forming Plants in Oligotrophic Bogs of the Southern Taiga Subzone of Western Siberia: Assessment of the Effect of Water Table Level and Peat Deposit Temperature

Eurasian Soil Science (2019)

L. G. Nikonova E. A. Golovatskaya Irina V. Kurina I. N. Kurganova

Sphagnum

10.1134/s1064229319090060

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Citations (10)

Validating modelled data on major and trace element deposition in southern Germany using Sphagnum moss

Atmospheric Environment (2017)

Heike Kempter Michael Krachler William Shotyk Claudio Zaccone

Ombrotrophic

Sphagnum

Deposition

Trace element

10.1016/j.atmosenv.2017.08.037

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Citations (9)

Vascular plants affect properties and decomposition of moss-dominated peat, particularly at elevated temperatures

Biogeosciences (2020)

Lilli Zeh M. Igel Judith Schellekens Juul Limpens Luca Bragazza

Abstract. Peatlands, storing significant amounts of carbon, are extremely vulnerable to climate change. The effects of climate change are projected to lead to a vegetation shift from Sphagnum mosses to sedges and shrubs. Impacts on the present moss-dominated peat remain largely unknown. In this study, we used a multiproxy approach to investigate the influence of contrasting vascular plant types (sedges, shrubs) on peat chemistry and decomposition. Peat cores of 20 cm depth and plant material (Sphagnum spp., Calluna vulgaris and Eriophorum vaginatum) from two ombrotrophic peatlands in the Italian Alps with a mean annual temperature difference of 1.4 ∘C were analyzed. Peat cores were taken under adjacent shrub and sedge plants growing at the same height above the water table. We used carbon, nitrogen and their stable isotopes to assess general patterns in the degree of decomposition across sampling locations and depths. In addition, analytical pyrolysis was applied to disentangle effects of vascular plants (sedge, shrub) on chemical properties and decomposition of the moss-dominated peat. Pyrolysis data confirmed that Sphagnum moss dominated the present peat irrespective of depth. Nevertheless, vascular plants contributed to peat properties as revealed by, e.g., pyrolysis products of lignin. The degree of peat decomposition increased with depth as shown by, e.g., decreasing amounts of the pyrolysis product of sphagnum acid and increasing δ13C with depth. Multiple parameters also revealed a higher degree of decomposition of Sphagnum-dominated peat collected under sedges than under shrubs, particularly at the high temperature site. Surprisingly, temperature effects on peat decomposition were less pronounced than those of sedges. Our results imply that vascular plants affect the decomposition of the existing peat formed by Sphagnum, particularly at elevated temperature. These results suggest that changes in plant functional types may have a stronger impact on the soil carbon feedback in a warmer world than hitherto assumed.

Sphagnum

Ombrotrophic

Vascular plant

Calluna

10.5194/bg-17-4797-2020

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Citations (21)

Variations of 18O/16O in plants from temperate peat bogs (Switzerland): implications for paleoclimatic studies

Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2002)

Guillemette Ménot Stephen J. Burns Markus Leuenberger

δ18O

Sphagnum