Decomposition and Peat Accumulation in Rich Fens of Boreal Alberta, Canada

Fens are important components of Canada’s western boreal forests, occupying about 63% of the total peatland area and storing about 65% of the peatland carbon. Rich fens, dominated by true moss-dominated ground layers, make up more than half of the fens in the region. We studied organic matter accumulation in three rich fens that represent the diversity in structural types. We used in situ decomposition socks, a new method that examines actual decomposition throughout the upper peat profile over an extended period of time. We coupled our carbon loss data with macrofossil analyses and dated peat profiles using ²¹⁰Pb. Across the three rich fens and in the top 39 cm of the peat column, dry mass increases on average 3.1 times. From our dry mass loss measurements, we calculate that annual mass loss from the top 39 cm varies from 0.52 to 1.08 kg m². Vertical accumulation during the past 50 years has varied from 16 to 32 cm and during these 50 years, organic matter accumulation has averaged 174 g m⁻² y⁻¹ compared to 527 g m² y⁻¹ dry mass loss, with additional mass losses of 306 g m² y⁻¹ from peat between 50 and 150 years of age. Organic matter accumulation from our rich fens compares well with literature values from boreal bogs, whereas peat bulk densities increase about three times within the uppermost 40 cm, much more than in bogs. Hence, rich fens accumulate peat not because the plant material is especially hard to decompose, is acidic, or has the catotelm especially close to the surface, but because dense, rapidly produced inputs outweigh the relatively rapid decomposition process of the upper peat column. Author Contributions: DHV conceived study; KS, KW, SF, & DHV performed research; DHV, KW analyzed data; DHV, KW contributed new methods; DHV, KW wrote the paper.     

Changes in Biomass, Aboveground Net Primary Production, and Peat Accumulation following Permafrost Thaw in the Boreal Peatlands of Manitoba, Canada

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. Received 8 August 2000; accepted 12 January 2001.     

15000年以来若尔盖高原泥炭地发育及其碳动态

高海拔泥炭地是维护高原气候环境稳定的重要生态系统,由于其兼具高海拔和高寒的特点,对气候变化尤为敏感。若尔盖高原泥炭地是中国高海拔泥炭地集中分布区,碳储量丰富,由于方法学差异及数据缺乏,其碳储量估算仍存在一定程度的不确定性,对长时间尺度碳通量的模拟研究还较为匮乏。因此,以若尔盖高原泥炭地为研究对象,基于若尔盖高原泥炭地每千年的面积变化和碳累积速率重新评估若尔盖高原泥炭地碳储量,并利用泥炭分解模型和碳通量重建模型探讨了15000年以来若尔盖高原泥炭地碳通量动态。研究结果表明,若尔盖高原泥炭地约从15000年开始发育,发育高峰期在12000-10000年和7000-5000年,泥炭累积速率范围为0.22-1.31 mm/a,平均值为0.56 mm/a;碳累积速率范围为13.4-77.2 g C m^-2 a^-1,平均碳累积速率为33.5 g C m^-2 a^-1,3000年至今碳累积速率最高,7000-6000年是碳累积速率次峰值时期;15000年以来若尔盖高原泥炭地碳储存量达1.4 Pg（1 Pg=10¹⁵ g）,碳累积输入和碳累积释放分别为5.6 Pg和4.2 Pg;净碳平衡平均值为0.087 Tg（1 Tg=10¹² g）C/a,峰值出现在11000-10000年为0.295 Pg;在6000-2000年若尔盖泥炭地出现微弱碳源,最大值出现在5000-4000年,约为-0.034 Pg,净碳平衡在15000-11000年和4000年至今呈现上升趋势,而10000-4000年整体呈现下降趋势。总体而言,若尔盖高原泥炭地碳储量丰富,是青藏高原东部重要的陆地生态系统碳库和碳汇,本研究将为我国高海拔泥炭地碳库保育提供一定的理论和数据支撑。     

Comparison of Vegetation and CO2 Dynamics Between a Restored Cut‐Away Peatland and a Pristine Fen: Evaluation of the Restoration Success

We studied the restoration success of a cut‐away peatland 10 years after restoration by comparing the vegetation and CO₂ dynamics with those of a pristine peatland of similar nutrition level and climate. Vegetation and CO₂ dynamics were monitored during one growing season. We used DCA (detrended correspondence analysis) and diversity indices to study the vegetation composition within and between the sites, and non‐linear regression models to estimate the seasonal CO₂ fluxes and balances of the sites. Based on both DCA and diversity indices, the study plots in the restored site differed more in the vegetation composition than the study plots in the pristine site. The variation in the CO₂ fluxes and balance was greater in the restored than in the pristine site, resulting from the heterogeneous vegetation in the restored site. The seasonal net CO₂ balance was positive (sink) at both sites, the restored site binding on average 500 ± 410 g CO₂/m² and the pristine site 390 ± 265 g CO₂/m² (statistically not different, p = 0.575). The results indicate that the restoration of the vegetation composition is still incomplete but the vegetation coverage is sufficient for the restored site to function as a sink of atmospheric CO₂.     

Peat CO2 production in a natural and cutover peatland: Implications for restoration

Although studies have shown that peatland drainage andharvesting alter local hydrology, microclimate, and peatcharacteristics, little is known about the effects of these changes onCO₂ production rates. This study examines the differentfactors affecting CO₂ production from natural and cutoverpeatlands. Laboratory peat incubations were performed under aerobic andanaerobic conditions to determine the influence of temperature, soilmoisture, and peat depth on CO₂ production rates from peatsamples taken from: (1) a natural peatland; (2) a 2-yearpost-cutover peatland and; (3) a 7-year post-cutover peatland.CO₂ production rates ranged from 0.21 to 4.87 µmolg^–1 d^–1 under anaerobic conditions,and from 0.37 to 15.69 µmol g^–1d^–1 in the aerobic trials. While no significantdifferences were found between the CO₂ production rates ofthe two cutover sites, the natural site consistently displayed higherproduction values. The natural site was also the only site to exhibitstrong depth dependent trends, thus indicating the importance of theupper peat layer with respect to substrate quality. Higher productionrates were found under aerobic than anaerobic conditions, with thegreatest response to oxygen observed at the natural site. Productionrates increased with both temperature and soil moisture, with maximumproduction rates found at 20 °C and 92% moisture content.Temperature responses were generally greater at the cutover sites, whilesoil moisture had greater effects on the natural site peat.Results of this work agree with previous studies that suggest that itis essential to begin restoration once a cutover peatland is abandoned.Re-wetting a cutover peatland (through restoration practices) isnecessary to prevent an increase in peat temperature and CO₂production since cutover peat has higher Q₁₀ values thannatural peat. A decrease in overall peatland oxidation should reduce thepersistent source of atmospheric CO₂ from cutover peatlandsand the irreversible changes in peat structure that impedeSphagnum re-establishment.     

Carbon sequestration in peatland: patterns and mechanisms of response to climate change

The response of peatlands to changes in the climatic water budget is crucial to predicting potential feedbacks on the global carbon (C) cycle. To gain insight on the patterns and mechanisms of response, we linked a model of peat accumulation to a model of peatland hydrology, then applied these models to empirical data spanning the past 5000 years for the large mire Store Mosse in southern Sweden. We estimated parameters for C sequestration and height growth by fitting the peat accumulation model to two age profiles. Then, we used independent reconstruction of climate wetness and model reconstruction of bog height to examine changes in peatland hydrology. Reconstructions of C sequestration showed two distinct patterns of behaviour: abrupt increases associated with major transitions in vegetation and dominant Sphagnum species (fuscum, rubellum–fuscum and magellanicum stages), and gradual decreases associated with increasing humification of newly formed peat. Carbon sequestration rate ranged from a minimum of 14 to a maximum of 72 g m^?2 yr^?1, with the most rapid changes occurring in the past 1000 years. Vegetation transitions were associated with periods of increasing climate wetness during which the hydrological requirement for increased seepage loss was met by rise of the water table closer to the peatland surface, with the indirect result of enhancing peat formation. Gradual decline in C sequestration within each vegetation stage resulted from enhanced litter decay losses from the near‐surface layer. In the first two vegetation stages, peatland development (i.e., increasing surface gradient) and decreasing climate wetness drove a gradual increase in thickness of the unsaturated, near‐surface layer, reducing seepage water loss and peat formation. In the most recent vegetation stage, the surface diverged into a mosaic of wet and dry microsites. Despite a steady increase in climate wetness, C sequestration declined rapidly. The complexity of response to climate change cautions against use of past rates to estimate current or to predict future rates of peatland C sequestration. Understanding interactions among hydrology, surface structure and peat formation are essential to predicting potential feedback on the global C cycle.     

Global and regional importance of the tropical peatland carbon pool

Accurate inventory of tropical peatland is important in order to (a) determine the magnitude of the carbon pool; (b) estimate the scale of transfers of peat‐derived greenhouse gases to the atmosphere resulting from land use change; and (c) support carbon emissions reduction policies. We review available information on tropical peatland area and thickness and calculate peat volume and carbon content in order to determine their best estimates and ranges of variation. Our best estimate of tropical peatland area is 441 025 km² (～11% of global peatland area) of which 247 778 km² (56%) is in Southeast Asia. We estimate the volume of tropical peat to be 1758 Gm³ (～18–25% of global peat volume) with 1359 Gm³ in Southeast Asia (77% of all tropical peat). This new assessment reveals a larger tropical peatland carbon pool than previous estimates, with a best estimate of 88.6 Gt (range 81.7–91.9 Gt) equal to 15–19% of the global peat carbon pool. Of this, 68.5 Gt (77%) is in Southeast Asia, equal to 11–14% of global peat carbon. A single country, Indonesia, has the largest share of tropical peat carbon (57.4 Gt, 65%), followed by Malaysia (9.1 Gt, 10%). These data are used to provide revised estimates for Indonesian and Malaysian forest soil carbon pools of 77 and 15 Gt, respectively, and total forest carbon pools (biomass plus soil) of 97 and 19 Gt. Peat carbon contributes 60% to the total forest soil carbon pool in Malaysia and 74% in Indonesia. These results emphasize the prominent global and regional roles played by the tropical peat carbon pool and the importance of including this pool in national and regional assessments of terrestrial carbon stocks and the prediction of peat‐derived greenhouse gas emissions.     

Unraveling past impacts of climate change and land management on historic peatland development using proxy‐based reconstruction,monitoring data and process modeling

Peatlands represent globally significant soil carbon stores that have been accumulating for millennia under water‐logged conditions. However, deepening water‐table depths (WTD) from climate change or human‐induced drainage could stimulate decomposition resulting in peatlands turning from carbon sinks to carbon sources. Contemporary WTD ranges of testate amoebae (TA) are commonly used to predict past WTD in peatlands using quantitative transfer function models. Here we present, for the first time, a study comparing TA‐based WTD reconstructions to instrumentally monitored WTD and hydrological model predictions using the MILLENNIA peatland model to examine past peatland responses to climate change and land management. Although there was very good agreement between monitored and modeled WTD, TA‐reconstructed water table was consistently deeper. Predictions from a larger European TA transfer function data set were wetter, but the overall directional fit to observed WTD was better for a TA transfer function based on data from northern England. We applied a regression‐based offset correction to the reconstructed WTD for the validation period (1931–2010). We then predicted WTD using available climate records as MILLENNIA model input and compared the offset‐corrected TA reconstruction to MILLENNIA WTD predictions over an extended period (1750–1931) with available climate reconstructions. Although the comparison revealed striking similarities in predicted overall WTD patterns, particularly for a recent drier period (1965–1995), there were clear periods when TA‐based WTD predictions underestimated (i.e. drier during 1830–1930) and overestimated (i.e. wetter during 1760–1830) past WTD compared to MILLENNIA model predictions. Importantly, simulated grouse moor management scenarios may explain the drier TA WTD predictions, resulting in considerable model predicted carbon losses and reduced methane emissions, mainly due to drainage. This study demonstrates the value of a site‐specific and combined data‐model validation step toward using TA‐derived moisture conditions to understand past climate‐driven peatland development and carbon budgets alongside modeling likely management impacts.     

Peat,horticulture and environment

Peat-based growing media underpin the horticultural industry in the UK, although production sites cover less than 0.5% of the total peatland area. In recent years Peat Producer's Association members have released over 20% of their holdings to English Nature, representing virtually all the areas of current conservation value. The Association is now engaged in the assessment and development of restoration measures.     

Long-Term Consequences of Grazing and Burning on Northern Peatland Carbon Dynamics

Abstract Using a 50-year-old field experiment, we investigated the effects of the long-term land management practices of repeated burning and grazing on peatland vegetation and carbon dynamics (C). Plant community composition, C stocks in soils and vegetation, and C fluxes of CO₂, CH₄ and DOC, were measured over an 18-month period. We found that both burning and grazing reduced aboveground C stocks, and that burning reduced C stocks in the surface peat. Both burning and grazing strongly affected vegetation community composition, causing an increase in graminoids and a decrease in ericoid subshrubs and bryophytes relative to unburned and ungrazed controls; this effect was especially pronounced in burned treatments. Soil microbial properties were unaffected by grazing and showed minor responses to burning, in that the C:N ratio of the microbial biomass increased in burned relative to unburned treatments. Increases in the gross ecosystem CO₂ fluxes of respiration and photosynthesis were observed in burned and grazed treatments relative to controls. Here, the greatest effects were seen in the burning treatment, where the mean increase in gross fluxes over the experimental period was greater than 40%. Increases in gross CO₂ fluxes were greatest during the summer months, suggesting an interactive effect of land use and climate on ecosystem C cycling. Collectively, our results indicate that long-term management of peatland has marked effects on ecosystem C dynamics and CO₂ flux, which are primarily related to changes in vegetation community structure.     

Fungal and Bacterial Activity in Northern Peatlands

Selective inhibition of substrate-induced respiration with antibiotics cycloheximide and streptomycin sulphate provided insight into eukaryotic versus prokaryotic activities in surface peat soil of three Canadian peatlands. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities in peatlands are important in the net sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide and therefore play a unique role in global carbon cycling. Selective inhibition techniques were generally successful, with a maximum non-target inhibition of only 17%. Assuming that eukaryotic and prokaryotic activities were dominated by fungi and bacteria respectively, across 3 ecologically and hydrologically diverse and spatially dispersed peatlands, we demonstrated bacterial dominance in a bog and a poor fen both with acidic and primarily Sphagnum derived peat soil and in a near pH neutral wetter rich fen with sedge peat (fungal to bacterial activity ratio = 0.31 to 0.68). These results differ in that in other acidic environments, such as conifer forest soils, fungal to bacterial activity ratios are mostly greater than 1 indicative of fungal dominance.     

Ecosystem state shifts during long‐term development of an Amazonian peatland

The most carbon (C)‐dense ecosystems of Amazonia are areas characterized by the presence of peatlands. However, Amazonian peatland ecosystems are poorly understood and are threatened by human activities. Here, we present an investigation into long‐term ecohydrological controls on C accumulation in an Amazonian peat dome. This site is the oldest peatland yet discovered in Amazonia (peat initiation ca. 8.9 ka BP), and developed in three stages: (i) peat initiated in an abandoned river channel with open water and aquatic plants; (ii) inundated forest swamp; and (iii) raised peat dome (since ca. 3.9 ka BP). Local burning occurred at least three times in the past 4,500 years. Two phases of particularly rapid C accumulation (ca. 6.6–6.1 and ca. 4.9–3.9 ka BP), potentially resulting from increased net primary productivity, were seemingly driven by drier conditions associated with widespread drought events. The association of drought phases with major ecosystem state shifts (open water wetland–forest swamp–peat dome) suggests a potential climatic control on the developmental trajectory of this tropical peatland. A third drought phase centred on ca. 1.8–1.1 ka BP led to markedly reduced C accumulation and potentially a hiatus during the peat dome stage. Our results suggest that future droughts may lead to phases of rapid C accumulation in some inundated tropical peat swamps, although this can lead ultimately to a shift to ombrotrophy and a subsequent return to slower C accumulation. Conversely, in ombrotrophic peat domes, droughts may lead to reduced C accumulation or even net loss of peat. Increased surface wetness at our site in recent decades may reflect a shift towards a wetter climate in western Amazonia. Amazonian peatlands represent important carbon stores and habitats, and are important archives of past climatic and ecological information. They should form key foci for conservation efforts.     

Amazonian peatlands: an ignored C sink and potential source

In tropical lowlands, peatlands are commonly reported from Southeast Asia, and especially Indonesian tropical peatlands are known as considerable C sinks and sources. In contrast, Amazonia has been clearly understudied in this context. In this study, based on field observations from 17 wetland sites in Peruvian lowland Amazonia, we report 0–5.9 m thick peat deposits from 16 sites. Only one of the studied sites did not contain any kind of peat deposit (considering pure peat and clayey peat). Historic yearly peat and C accumulation rates, based on radiocarbon dating of peat samples from five sites, varied from 0.94 ± 0.99 to 4.88 ± 1.65 mm, and from 26 ± 3 to 195 ± 70 g C m⁻², respectively. The long-term apparent peat and C accumulation rates varied from 1.69 ± 0.03 to 2.56 ± 0.12 mm yr⁻¹, and from 39 ± 10 to 85 ± 30 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively. These accumulation rates are comparable to those determined in the Indonesian tropical peatlands. Under altered conditions, Indonesian peatlands can release globally relevant amounts of C to the atmosphere. Considering the estimated total area of Amazonian peatlands (150 000 km²) close to that of the Indonesian ones (200 728 km²) as well as several factors threatening the Amazonian peatlands, we suggest that the total C stocks and fluxes associated with Amazonian peatlands may be of global significance.     

Holocene Carbon Accumulation of Fen Peatlands in Boreal Western Canada: A Complex Ecosystem Response to Climate Variation and Disturbance

Understanding the long-term ecological dynamics of northern peatlands is essential for assessment of the possible responses and feedbacks of these carbon-rich ecosystems to climate change and natural disturbance. I used high-resolution macrofossil and lithological analyses of a fen peatland in western Canada to infer the Holocene developmental history of the peatland, to document the temporal pattern of long-term peat accumulation, and to investigate ecosystems responses to climate changes in terms of species composition and carbon accumulation. The peatland has been dominated by sedges and brown mosses during its 10,000-year history, despite interruption by tephra deposition. Peat accumulation rates vary by more than an order of magnitude and decline from 5500 to 1300 cal BP, resulting in a convex depth–age curve, which contrasts with the carbon accumulation patterns documented for oceanic peatlands. The synthesis of regional data from continental western Canada indicates that fens tend to accumulate more carbon than bogs of the same ages. These data suggest that the carbon sink potential of northern peatlands has varied dramatically in the past, so estimates of the present and projected carbon sink strengths of these peatlands need to take this temporal variation into consideration. Widespread slowdown of peat accumulation over the last 4000 years may have resulted from climate cooling in northern latitudes after the Holocene insolation maximum. The findings indicate that long-term peatland dynamics are modified by many local and regional factors and that gradual environmental change may be capable of triggering abrupt shifts and jumps in ecosystem states.     

Pine Forest Floor Carbon Accumulation in Response to N and PK Additions: Bomb <Superscript>14</Superscript>C Modelling and Respiration Studies

The addition of nitrogen via deposition alters the carbon balance of temperate forest ecosystems by affecting both production and decomposition rates. The effects of 20 years of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus and potassium (PK) additions were studied in a 40-year-old pine stand in northern Sweden. Carbon fluxes of the forest floor were reconstructed using a combination of data on soil ¹⁴C, tree growth, and litter decomposition. N-only additions caused an increase in needle litterfall, whereas both N and PK additions reduced long-term decomposition rates. Soil respiration measurements showed a 40% reduction in soil respiration for treated compared to control plots. The average age of forest floor carbon was 17 years. Predictions of future soil carbon storage indicate an increase of around 100% in the next 100 years for the N plots and 200% for the NPK plots. As much as 70% of the increase in soil carbon was attributed to the decreased decomposition rate, whereas only 20% was attributable to increased litter production. A reduction in decomposition was observed at a rate of N addition of 30 kg C ha^–1 y^–1, which is not an uncommon rate of N deposition in central Europe. A model based on the continuous-quality decomposition theory was applied to interpret decomposer and substrate parameters. The most likely explanations for the decreased decomposition rate were a fertilizer-induced increase in decomposer efficiency (production-to-assimilation ratio), a more rapid rate of decrease in litter quality, and a decrease in decomposer basic growth rate.     

Regulation of Decomposition and Methane Dynamics across Natural,Commercially Mined,and Restored Northern Peatlands

Abstract We examined aerobic and anaerobic microbial carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) exchange in peat samples representing different profiles at natural, mined, mined-abandoned, and restored northern peatlands and characterized the nutrient and substrate chemistry and microbial biomass of these soils. Mining and abandonment led to reduced nutrient and substrate availability and occasionally drier conditions in surface peat resulting in a drastic reduction in CO₂ and CH₄ production, in agreement with previous studies. Owing mainly to wetter conditions, CH₄ production and oxidation were faster in restored block-cut than natural sites, whereas in one restored site, increased substrate and nutrient availability led to much more rapid rates of CO₂ production. Our work in restored block-cut sites compliments that in vacuum-harvested peatlands undergoing more recent active restoration attempts. The sites we examined covered a large range of soil C substrate quality, nutrient availability, microbial biomass, and microbial activities, allowing us to draw general conclusions about controls on microbial CO₂ and CH₄ dynamics using stepwise regression analysis among all sites and soil depths. Aerobic and anaerobic decomposition of peat was constrained by organic matter quality, particularly phosphorus (P) and carbon (C) chemistry, and closely linked to the size of the microbial biomass supported by these limiting resources. Methane production was more dominantly controlled by field moisture content (a proxy for anaerobism), even after 20 days of anaerobic laboratory incubation, and to a lesser extent by C substrate availability. As methanogens likely represented only a small proportion of the total microbial biomass, there were no links between total microbial biomass and CH₄ production. Methane oxidation was controlled by the same factors influencing CH₄ production, leading to the conclusion that CH₄ oxidation is primarily controlled by substrate (that is, CH₄) availability. Although restoring hydrology similar to natural sites may re-establish CH₄ dynamics, there is geographic or site-specific variability in the ability to restore peat decomposition dynamics.     

典型温带雨养泥炭沼泽湿地地下部二氧化碳和甲烷浓度变化规律及其影响因素

为研究北方泥炭沼泽湿地二氧化碳(CO₂)和甲烷(CH₄)浓度随深度的变化规律及其影响因素,选取欧洲北部典型雨养泥炭地贝尔山湿地(BBM)和舒特兹山湿地(SBM)两个采样点,通过原位采集泥炭剖面温室气体、孔隙水以及土壤样品,结合傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)技术、碳氮同位素技术,探讨泥炭土壤的分解程度及温室气体浓度变化的关系。研究结果表明:(1)BBM采样点地下部的CO₂浓度变化规律总体呈现随深度波动减少趋势,值多在3000μmol/L附近波动,最大值为4210.74μmol/L(120 cm),SBM采样点的CO₂浓度随深度先增后减,60 cm以上在1800μmol/L附近波动,60 cm以下在3000μmol/L附近波动,最大值为4191.94μmol/L(90 cm);BBM和SBM地下部CH₄浓度都随深度增大,并且在60cm以下浓度增加较快,BBM最大值为735.90μmol/L(260 cm),SBM最大值为543.51μmol/L(170 cm)。(2)BBM和SBM...     

泥炭藓: 一类具有重要生态、经济和科学价值的碳封存植物

全球气候变暖是人类面临最严峻的环境挑战。有效控制碳排放, 充分发挥生态系统的固碳能力是实现碳中和目标的重要手段。作为碳封存能力最强的一种湿地类型, 泥炭地是加快实现碳中和目标的关键陆地生态系统。作为泥炭地“有效的生态系统工程师”, 泥炭藓(Sphagnum)在泥炭地的碳汇功能、过滤淡水及保护土地免受洪水侵袭等方面具有极其重要的作用。100多年来, 泥炭藓广泛应用于医药保健、污染监测和废水处理等领域, 尤其是作为一类最值得信赖的土壤介质和保湿材料一直被广泛用于园艺产业。在全球气候变暖和“双碳”目标的大背景下, 泥炭藓已经成为生命科学和生态学研究的热点。该文主要从泥炭藓的形态、物种多样性和起源、生境与分布、繁殖和保护、培养与种植、环境指示和监测、用途和应用, 以及碳封存、储水和酸化能力等方面进行综述, 旨在为泥炭藓研究、泥炭地的保护和恢复以及泥炭藓开发利用和产业发展提供借鉴与参考。