Postfire carbon balance in boreal bogs of Alberta, Canada

Boreal peatland ecosystems occupy about 3.5 million km² of the earth's land surface and store between 250 and 455 Pg of carbon (C) as peat. While northern hemisphere boreal peatlands have functioned as net sinks for atmospheric C since the most recent deglaciation, natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and most importantly wildfire, may compromise peatland C sinks. To examine the effects of fire on local and regional C sink strength, we focused on a 12 000 km² region near Wabasca, AB, Canada, where ombrotrophic Sphagnum‐dominated bogs cover 2280 km² that burn with a fire return interval of 123±26 years. We characterized annual C accumulation along a chronosequence of 10 bog sites, spanning 1–102 years‐since‐fire (in 2002). Immediately after fire, bogs represent a net C source of 8.9±8.4 mol m⁻² yr⁻¹. At about 13 years after fire, bogs switch from net C sources to net C sinks, mainly because of recovery of the moss and shrub layers. Subsequently, black spruce biomass accumulation contributes to the net C sink, with fine root biomass accumulation peaking at 34 years after fire and aboveground biomass and coarse root accumulation peaking at 74 years after fire. The overall C sink strength peaks at 18.4 mol C m⁻² yr⁻¹ at 75 years after fire. As the tree biomass accumulation rate declines, the net C sink decreases to about 10 mol C m⁻² yr⁻¹ at 100 years‐since‐fire. We estimate that across the Wabasca study region, bogs currently represent a C sink of 14.7±5.1 Gmol yr⁻¹. A decrease in the fire return interval to 61 years with no change in air temperature would convert the region's bogs to a net C source. An increase in nonwinter air temperature of 2 °C would decrease the regional C sink to 6.8±2.3 Gmol yr⁻¹. Under scenarios of predicted climate change, the current C sink status of Alberta bogs is likely to diminish to the point where these peatlands become net sources of atmospheric CO₂‐C.     

Where old meets new: An ecosystem study of methanogenesis in a reflooded agricultural peatland

Reflooding formerly drained peatlands has been proposed as a means to reduce losses of organic matter and sequester soil carbon for climate change mitigation, but a renewal of high methane emissions has been reported for these ecosystems, offsetting mitigation potential. Our ability to interpret observed methane fluxes in reflooded peatlands and make predictions about future flux trends is limited due to a lack of detailed studies of methanogenic processes. In this study we investigate methanogenesis in a reflooded agricultural peatland in the Sacramento Delta, California. We use the stable‐and radio‐carbon isotopic signatures of wetland sediment methane, ecosystem‐scale eddy covariance flux observations, and laboratory incubation experiments, to identify which carbon sources and methanogenic production pathways fuel methanogenesis and how these processes are affected by vegetation and seasonality. We found that the old peat contribution to annual methane emissions was large (~30%) compared to intact wetlands, indicating a biogeochemical legacy of drainage. However, fresh carbon and the acetoclastic pathway still accounted for the majority of methanogenesis throughout the year. Although temperature sensitivities for bulk peat methanogenesis were similar between open‐water (Q₁₀ = 2.1) and vegetated (Q₁₀ = 2.3) soils, methane production from both fresh and old carbon sources showed pronounced seasonality in vegetated zones. We conclude that high methane emissions in restored wetlands constitute a biogeochemical trade‐off with contemporary carbon uptake, given that methane efflux is fueled primarily by fresh carbon inputs.     

Biogeochemical Processes of Methane Cycle in the Soils,Bogs, and Lakes of Western Siberia

The biogeochemical processes of methane production and oxidation were studied in the upper horizons of tundra and taiga soils and raised bogs and lake bottom sediments near the Tarko-Sale gas field in western Siberia. Both in dry and water-logged soils, the total methane concentration (in soil particles and gaseous phase) was an order of magnitude higher than in the soil gaseous phase alone (22 and 1.1 nl/cm³, respectively). In bogs and lake bottom sediments methane concentration was as high as 11 l/cm³. Acetate was the major precursor of the newly formed methane. The rate of aceticlastic methanogenesis reached 55 ng C/(cm³day), whereas that of autotrophic methanogenesis was an order of magnitude lower. The most active methane production and oxidation were observed in bogs and lake sediments, where the ¹³C values of CO₂were inversely related to the intensity of bacterial methane oxidation. Methane diffusing from bogs and lake bottom sediments showed ¹³C values ranging from –78 to –47, whereas the ¹³C value of carbon dioxide ranged from –18 to –1. In these ecosystems, methane emission comprised from 3 to 206 mg CH₄/(m²day). Conversely, the dry and water-logged soils of the tundra and taiga took up atmospheric methane at a rate varying from 0.3 to 5.3 mg CH₄/(m²day). Methane consumption in soils was of biological nature. This was confirmed by the radioisotopic method and chamber experiments, in which weighting of methane carbon was observed (the ¹³C value changed from –51 to –41).     

Links between archaeal community structure, vegetation type and methanogenic pathway in Alaskan peatlands

Although northern peatlands contribute significantly to natural methane emissions, recent studies of the importance and type of methanogenesis in these systems have provided conflicting results. Mechanisms controlling methanogenesis in northern peatlands remain poorly understood, despite the importance of methane as a greenhouse gas. We used 16S rRNA gene retrieval and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to analyse archaeal communities in 15 high-latitude peatland sites in Alaska and three mid-latitude peatland sites in Massachusetts. Archaeal community composition was analysed in the context of environmental, vegetation and biogeochemical factors characterized in a parallel study. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Alaskan sites were dominated by a cluster of uncultivated crenarchaeotes and members of the families Methanomicrobiaceae and Methanobacteriaceae, which are not acetoclastic. Members of the acetoclastic family Methanosarcinaceae were not detected, whereas those of the family Methanosaetaceae were either not detected or were minor. These results are consistent with biogeochemical evidence that acetoclastic methanogenesis is not a predominant terminal decomposition pathway in most of the sites analysed. Ordination analyses indicated a link between vegetation type and archaeal community composition, suggesting that plants (and/or the environmental conditions that control their distribution) influence both archaeal community activity and dynamics.     

Breeding bird populations of Irish peatlands

Capsule Peatlands are very important habitats for birds despite low species diversity.

Aims To describe the variation in breeding bird populations that occur on different types of Irish peatlands and their associated habitat characteristics.

Methods Bird abundance and diversity were compared between four peatland habitat types (fens, raised bogs, Atlantic blanket bogs and montane blanket bogs) at 12 study sites using transects. Various measures of habitat quality were also taken at each location.

Results Only 21 species were recorded during the study, with Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis and Sky Lark Alauda arvensis accounting for over 80% of all birds recorded. Fens had greater bird species diversity and densities than the other three peatland types. Raised bogs, Atlantic blanket bogs and montane blanket bogs were very similar in terms of their avian diversity. Each of the recorded bird species was associated with different aspects of the peatland habitat.

Conclusion This study shows that despite the relatively low avian species diversity of Irish peatlands, they are of enormous conservation value due to the presence of species of high conservation concern such as Willow Ptarmigan (Red Grouse) Lagopus lagopus and Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata.     

Patterns of Fungal and Bacterial Carbon Mineralization Across Northern European Peatlands

The fungal and bacterial activity was determined in 20 northern European peatlands ranging from ombrotrophic bogs to eutrophic fens with key differences in degree of humification, pH, dry bulk density, carbon (C) content and vegetation communities using the selective inhibition (SI) technique. These peatlands were partly disturbed and the respective water tables lowered below the surface layer. Basal respiration ranged from 24 to 128 µg CO₂-C g^?1 dry peat d^?1. Bacterial contributions to CO₂ production were high in most peatlands and showed the following pattern: eutrophic >> transitional ≥ mesotrophic >> ombrotrophic peatland types. The fungal-to-bacterial (F:B) ratios varied substantially within peatland type, and this was mainly attributed to differences in peat botanical compositions and chemistry. The computed mean Inhibitor Additivity Ratio (IAR) was quite close to 1 to suggest that the SI techniques can be used to partition eukaryotic and prokaryotic activity in wide range of peatlands. Overall, basal respiration, microbial biomass-C, fungal and bacterial activities varied across the studied peatland types, and such differences could have consequences for C- and nutrient-cycling as well as how bogs and fens will respond to environmental changes.     

Depleted methane-derived carbon in waters of Lake Baikal,Siberia

Results of hydrochemical and stable isotope measurements during the ice-breaking period on Lake Baikal indicate an apparent lack of relationship between measured δ¹³C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and phytoplankton below the trophogenic layer. While planktonic values of −31.7 to −33.5‰ are within a typical lacustrine range, the δ¹³C values of DIC turned out to be very negative, from −28.9 to −35.6‰. These isotopic values of DIC appear to be associated with oxidation of methane that accumulated during winter ice cover period. At the time of sampling, however, the observed depletion did not affect the phytoplankton/DIC fractionation relationship, because the difference between phytoplankton and DIC (−20 to −22‰ in surface waters) lies within the expected range of the fractionation coefficient. By analogy with small lakes, we explain this lack of relationship by the time lag between peak productivity and peak methane oxidation. Our interpretation of the Baikal DIC isotopic signature is consistent with methanogenesis in bottom sediments and with the known presence of widespread unstable gas hydrates and active methane seeps on the lake floor. Our findings suggest that methane is an important component of the Baikal carbon cycle, that late winter concentrations of methane in Baikal under ice may be 3–4 orders of magnitude higher than previously reported values for summer, and that the lake may be emitting a significant amount of methane to the atmosphere.     

Methane Production in Minnesota Peatlands

Rates of methane production in Minnesota peats were studied. Surface (10- to 25-cm) peats produced an average of 228 nmol of CH₄ per g (dry weight) per h at 25°C and ambient pH. Methanogenesis rates generally decreased with depth in ombrotrophic peats, but on occasion were observed to rise within deeper layers of certain fen peats. Methane production was temperature dependent, increasing with increasing temperature (4 to 30°C), except in peats from deeper layers. Maximal methanogenesis from these deeper regions occurred at 12°C. Methane production rates were also pH dependent. Two peats with pHs of 3.8 and 4.3 had an optimum rate of methane production at pH 6.0. The addition to peat of glucose and H₂-CO₂ stimulated methanogenesis, whereas the addition of acetate inhibited methanogenesis. Cysteine-sulfide, nitrogen-phosphorus-trace metals, and vitamins-yeast extract affected methane production very little. Various gases were found to be trapped or dissolved (or both) within peatland waters. Dissolved methane increased linearly to a depth of 210 cm. The accumulation of metabolic end products produced within peat bogs appears to be an important mechanism limiting carbon turnover in peatland environments.     

Gradients of continentality and moisture in South Patagonian ombrotrophic peatland vegetation

This study presents the analysis of 381 phytosociological relevés describing predominantly ombrotrophic South Patagonian lowland peatland vegetation along a gradient of increasing continentality. Numerical methods such as cluster analysis and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) were carried out to explore the data set. Cluster analysis resulted in nine vegetation types that were also distinctly separated in DCA ordination. The major floristic coenocline along the first DCA axis reflected a gradient of continentality ranging from pacific blanket bogs dominated by cushion plants toSphagnum-dominated continental raised bogs. Increasing continentality along the first axis was parallel with decreasing peat decomposition and increasing peat depth and acidity. In contrast, floristic variation along the second DCA axis represented a water level gradient. The typical sequence of vegetation types along the hollow-hummock moisture gradient that is well established for north hemispherical peatlands could also be observed inSphagnum-dominated South Patagonian raised bogs with a surprising similarity in floristic and structural features. Concerning the gradient of continentality significant differences in comparison with the northern hemisphere could be established. Most obvious was the dominance of cushion building plants (e.g.Astelia pumila, Donatia fascicularis) in South Patagonian oceanic peatlands, whereas this life form is totally absent from the northern hemisphere. Similar to the continentalSphagnum bogs the cushion plant vegetation of hyperoceanic peatlands exhibited a clear separation along the moisture gradient.     

Initiation of microtopography in revegetated cutover peatlands

Question: How many years are required for a gradient of microtopography to be initiated in revegetated cutover peatlands and become similar to natural bogs? Location: Newly formed Sphagnum carpets on cutover peatlands that revegetated spontaneously after site abandonment (in Estonia), or following active restoration (in Canada) and on undisturbed natural bogs nearby. Methods: Moss surface height was measured along linear transects above a local reference level (the lowest point for a given transect). Heights of at least 20 cm were associated with hummocks. Frequency distributions of surface height and principal component analyses (separately for Canada and Estonia) were conducted to follow the evolution of microtopography in revegetated sites and their similarity with those of natural peatlands. In Canada, regressions were also performed to estimate the time required for the microtopography in revegetated cutover peatlands to become similar to that found in natural bogs. Results: Only 10–30 yr were needed for microstructures comparable to those in natural bogs to develop on restored peatlands where Sphagnum diaspores have been reintroduced. However, this process may take more than a century in cutover peatlands left to revegetate spontaneously. Conclusions: In cutover peatlands with spontaneous revegetation, hummock–hollow formation starts on bare peat which lacks both plant propagules and viable seed banks, and the initiation of microstructures is probably more akin to the process that occurs naturally. Nonetheless, hummock–hollow microtopography resembling that found in natural bogs without pools appeared, in all of the examined cutover peatlands, over periods that are short in terms of peatland development time‐scales. Active peatland restoration could effectively reduce the time required for initiation of microtopography by about 70 yr.     

An overview of peatland restoration in North America: where are we after 25 years?

Peatland restoration in North America (NA) was initiated approximately 25 years ago on peat‐extracted bogs. Recent advances in peatland restoration in NA have expanded the original concepts and methodology. Restoration efforts in NA now include restoring peatlands from many diverse types of disturbances (e.g. roads, agriculture, grazing, erosion, forestry, and petrol industry infrastructure impacts) and occur in a greater array of peatland types (e.g. fens and swamps). Because fens are groundwater and surface flow driven, techniques to restore the hydrology of fens are generally more complicated than bogs. Restoring a greater variety of peatland types on a large‐scale basis (>10 ha) commands new techniques for reestablishing a broader array of plants other than Sphagnum spp., including non‐Sphagnum mosses, sedges, nonericaceous shrubs, and trees. The rationale for restoring peatlands has expanded to include legal requirements, wetland mitigation and banking, climate mitigation, water quality, and as part of responsible ecosystem management for industry or society. In the past 25 years, peatland restoration in NA has evolved from (1) trial and error to a more empirically based scientific approach, (2) small site‐specific experiments to landscape‐scale restoration (e.g. hydrological connectivity, ecological fragmentation), and (3) individual stakeholder (academic) to multiple stakeholders across jurisdictional boundaries (private, local, and regional governmental agencies, NGOs, and so on). However, many research gaps still exist that must be addressed to enhance our ability to restore peatlands successfully.     

Some critical questions concerning the restorability of damaged raised bogs

Abstract. In principle, the restoration of damaged raised bogs has rather few requirements: (1) a sufficient supply, and retention, of precipitation water of appropriate quality; and (2) the availability of a suitable range of recolonist species. However, to meet these requirements it may be necessary to engineer the topography of the peatland and drainage systems and to adopt a policy of species introduction. This paper provides a critical summary review of: (1) existing knowledge about the environmental conditions necessary for the effective regeneration of damaged ombrogenous peatlands; (2) approaches adopted for generating conditions appropriate for the re-establishment of plant species typical of raised bogs; (3) possible external constraints (especially atmospheric contaminants) upon the feasibility of restoration; and (4) the prospects and possibilities for effective species recolonization. Particular attention is given to the identification of uncertainties and critical gaps in existing knowledge about raised bog restoration and of some of the natural processes that help regulate the development of raised bogs.     

Drainage increases CO2 and N2O emissions from tropical peat soils

Tropical peatlands are vital ecosystems that play an important role in global carbon storage and cycles. Current estimates of greenhouse gases from these peatlands are uncertain as emissions vary with environmental conditions. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of managed and natural tropical peatland GHG fluxes: heterotrophic (i.e. soil respiration without roots), total CO₂ respiration rates, CH₄ and N₂O fluxes. The study documents studies that measure GHG fluxes from the soil (n = 372) from various land uses, groundwater levels and environmental conditions. We found that total soil respiration was larger in managed peat ecosystems (median = 52.3 Mg CO₂ ha^?1 year^?1) than in natural forest (median = 35.9 Mg CO₂ ha^?1 year^?1). Groundwater level had a stronger effect on soil CO₂ emission than land use. Every 100 mm drop of groundwater level caused an increase of 5.1 and 3.7 Mg CO₂ ha^?1 year^?1 for plantation and cropping land use, respectively. Where groundwater is deep (≥0.5 m), heterotrophic respiration constituted 84% of the total emissions. N₂O emissions were significantly larger at deeper groundwater levels, where every drop in 100 mm of groundwater level resulted in an exponential emission increase (exp(0.7) kg N ha^?1 year^?1). Deeper groundwater levels induced high N₂O emissions, which constitute about 15% of total GHG emissions. CH₄ emissions were large where groundwater is shallow; however, they were substantially smaller than other GHG emissions. When compared to temperate and boreal peatland soils, tropical peatlands had, on average, double the CO₂ emissions. Surprisingly, the CO₂ emission rates in tropical peatlands were in the same magnitude as tropical mineral soils. This comprehensive analysis provides a great understanding of the GHG dynamics within tropical peat soils that can be used as a guide for policymakers to create suitable programmes to manage the sustainability of peatlands effectively.     

Linking microbial Sphagnum degradation and acetate mineralization in acidic peat bogs: from global insights to a genome-centric case study

Ombrotrophic bogs accumulate large stores of soil carbon that eventually decompose to carbon dioxide and methane. Carbon accumulates because Sphagnum mosses slow microbial carbon decomposition processes, leading to the production of labile intermediate compounds. Acetate is a major product of Sphagnum degradation, yet rates of hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis far exceed rates of aceticlastic methanogenesis, suggesting that alternative acetate mineralization processes exist. Two possible explanations are aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration via humic acids as electron acceptors. While these processes have been widely observed, microbial community interactions linking Sphagnum degradation and acetate mineralization remain cryptic. In this work, we use ordination and network analysis of functional genes from 110 globally distributed peatland metagenomes to identify conserved metabolic pathways in Sphagnum bogs. We then use metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from McLean Bog, a Sphagnum bog in New York State, as a local case study to reconstruct pathways of Sphagnum degradation and acetate mineralization. We describe metabolically flexible Acidobacteriota MAGs that contain all genes to completely degrade Sphagnum cell wall sugars under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Finally, we propose a hypothetical model of acetate oxidation driven by changes in peat redox potential that explain how bogs may circumvent aceticlastic methanogenesis through aerobic and humics-driven respiration.Subject terms: Microbial ecology, Metagenomics, Soil microbiology, Biogeochemistry, Microbial ecology     

Fluxes of nitrous oxide and methane from drained peatlands following forest clear-felling in southern Finland

Drainage of waterlogged sites has been part of the normal forestry practice in Fennoscandia, the Baltic countries, the British Isles and in some parts of Russia since the early 20^th century, and currently, about 15 million hectares of peatlands and other wetlands have been drained for forestry purposes. The rate of forest clear-felling on drained peatlands will undergo a rapid increase in the near future, when a large number of these forests approach their regeneration age. A small-scale pilot survey was performed at two nutrient-rich and old peatland drainage areas in southern Finland to study if forest clear-felling has significant impacts on the exchange of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄) between soil and atmosphere. The average N₂O emissions from the two drainage areas during three growing seasons following clear-felling were 945 and 246 g m^–2 d^–1. The corresponding CH₄ fluxes were –0.07 and –0.52 mg m^–2 d^–1. Clear-felling had impacts on the environmental factors known to affect the N₂O and CH₄ fluxes of peatlands, i.e. clear-felling raised the water table level and increased the peat temperature. However, no substantial changes in the fluxes of CH₄ following clear-felling were observed. The results concerning N₂O indicated a potential for increased emissions following clear-felling of drained peatland forests, but further studies are needed for a critical evaluation of the impacts of clear-felling on the fluxes of CH₄ and N₂O.     

Multidate,multisensor remote sensing reveals high density of carbon‐rich mountain peatlands in the páramo of Ecuador

Tropical peatlands store a significant portion of the global soil carbon (C) pool. However, tropical mountain peatlands contain extensive peat soils that have yet to be mapped or included in global C estimates. This lack of data hinders our ability to inform policy and apply sustainable management practices to these peatlands that are experiencing unprecedented high rates of land use and land cover change. Rapid large‐scale mapping activities are urgently needed to quantify tropical wetland extent and rate of degradation. We tested a combination of multidate, multisensor radar and optical imagery (Landsat TM/PALSAR/RADARSAT‐1/TPI image stack) for detecting peatlands in a 2715 km² area in the high elevation mountains of the Ecuadorian páramo. The map was combined with an extensive soil coring data set to produce the first estimate of regional peatland soil C storage in the páramo. Our map displayed a high coverage of peatlands (614 km²) containing an estimated 128.2 ± 9.1 Tg of peatland belowground soil C within the mapping area. Scaling‐up to the country level, páramo peatlands likely represent less than 1% of the total land area of Ecuador but could contain as much as ~23% of the above‐ and belowground vegetation C stocks in Ecuadorian forests. These mapping approaches provide an essential methodological improvement applicable to mountain peatlands across the globe, facilitating mapping efforts in support of effective policy and sustainable management, including national and global C accounting and C management efforts.     

Peatland distibution along a north-south transect in the Mackenzie River Basin in relation to climatic and environmental gradients

Climate is a major factor affecting the development and form of peatlands, as well as the distribution of individual bryophyte species. This paper examines the climatic and ecological gradients affecting the distribution of peatland types along a north-south gradient in the Mackenzie River Basin. Based on a TWINSPAN analysis of bryophyte abundance from 82 peatlands in the Mackenzie River Basin, seven peatland types, two with southerly geographical distributions are recognized. In the Mackenzie River Basin, such local factors as surface water chemistry, pH, and solute concentration as well as height above the water table play a significant role in determinining bryophyte species distributions. Climate is secondary. Amongst the climatic variables, precipitation, length of the growing season, and annual temperature are the most signifcant. The seven peatland groups are: widespread poor fens; peat plateaus with thermokarst pools, low-Boreal bogs; bogs and peat plateus without thermokarst pools; low-Boreal dry poor fens; wet moderate-rich fens; and wet extreme-rich fens.     

N2-fixation by methanotrophs sustains carbon and nitrogen accumulation in pristine peatlands

Symbiotic relationships between N₂-fixing prokaryotes and their autotrophic hosts are essential in nitrogen (N)-limited ecosystems, yet the importance of this association in pristine boreal peatlands, which store 25 % of the world’s soil (C), has been overlooked. External inputs of N to bogs are predominantly atmospheric, and given that regions of boreal Canada anchor some of the lowest rates found globally (~1 kg N ha^?1 year^?1), biomass production is thought to be limited primarily by N. Despite historically low N deposition, we show that boreal bogs have accumulated approximately 12–25 times more N than can be explained by atmospheric inputs. Here we demonstrate high rates of biological N₂-fixation in prokaryotes associated with Sphagnum mosses that can fully account for the missing input of N needed to sustain high rates of C sequestration. Additionally, N amendment experiments in the field did not increase Sphagnum production, indicating that mosses are not limited by N. Lastly, by examining the composition and abundance of N₂-fixing prokaryotes by quantifying gene expression of 16S rRNA and nitrogenase-encoding nifH, we show that rates of N₂-fixation are driven by the substantial contribution from methanotrophs, and not from cyanobacteria. We conclude biological N₂-fixation drives high sequestration of C in pristine peatlands, and may play an important role in moderating fluxes of methane, one of the most important greenhouse gases produced in peatlands. Understanding the mechanistic controls on biological N₂-fixation is crucial for assessing the fate of peatland carbon stocks under scenarios of climate change and enhanced anthropogenic N deposition.     

Plant community dynamics, nutrient cycling, and alternative stable equilibria in peatlands

Although observational data and experiments suggest that carbon flux and storage in peatlands are controlled by hydrology and/or nutrient availability, we lack a rigorous theory to account for the roles that different plant species or life-forms, particularly mosses, play in carbon and nutrient flux and storage and how they interact with different hydrologic sources of nutrients. We construct and analyze a model of peatlands that sheds some light on this problem. The model is a set of six coupled differential equations that define the flow of nutrients from moss and vascular plants to their litters, then to peat, and finally to an inorganic nutrient resource pool. We first analyze a simple version of this model (model 1) in which all nutrient input is from precipitation and enters the moss compartment directly, mimicking the dynamics of ombrotrophic bogs. There is a transcritical bifurcation that results in a switch of stability between two equilibrium bog communities: a moss monoculture and a community where mosses and vascular plants coexist. The bifurcation depends on the magnitudes of the input/output budget of the peatland and the life-history traits of the plants. We generalize model 1 to model 2 by dividing nutrient inputs between precipitation and groundwater, thus also allowing the development of minerotrophic fens that receive nutrient subsidies from both groundwater and precipitation and adding intraspecific competition (self-limitation) terms for both moss and vascular plants. Partitioning precipitation inputs between moss and the nutrient pool resulted in the greatest changes in model behavior, including the appearance of a lake and a vascular plant monoculture as well as the moss monoculture and coexistence equilibrium. As with model 1, these solutions are separated by transcritical bifurcations depending on critical combinations of parameters determining the input-output budget of the peatland as well as the life-history characteristics of the plant species. Model 2 also allowed for an early transient spike in vascular plant dominance followed by approach to near moss monoculture and then eventual approach to coexistence equilibrium. This generalized model mimics the broad features of successional development of peatlands from fens to bogs often found in the paleorecords of peat cores.     

Biogeochemical processes of methane cycle in the soils, swamps and lakes of Western Siberia

The biogeochemical processes of methane production and oxidation were studied in the upper horizons of tundra and taiga soils and of raised bogs and lake bottom sediments nearby the Tarkosalinsk gas field in western Siberia. Both in dry and water-logged soils, the total methane concentration (in soil particles and gaseous phase) was an order of magnitude higher than in the soil gaseous phase alone (22 and 1.1 nl/cm3, respectively). In bogs and lake bottom sediments, methane concentration was as high as 11 microliters/cm3. Acetate was the major precursor of the newly formed methane. The rate of aceticlastic methanogenesis reached 55 ng C/(cm3 day), whereas that of autotrophic methanogenesis was an order of magnitude lower. The most active methane production and oxidation were observed in bogs and lake sediments where the delta 13C values of CO2 were inversely related to the intensity of bacterial methane oxidation. Methane diffusing from bogs and lake bottom sediments showed delta 13C values ranging from -78 to -47@1000, whereas the delta 13C value of carbon dioxide ranged from -18 to -6@1000. In these ecosystems, methane emission comprised from 3 to 206 mg CH4/(m2 day). Conversely, the dry and water-logged soils of tundra and taiga took up atmospheric methane at a rate varying from 0.3 to 5.3 mg CH4/(m2 day). Methane consumption in soils was of biological rather than of adsorptive nature. This was confirmed by the radioisotopic method and chamber experiments, in which weighting of methane carbon was observed (the delta 13C value changed from -51 to -41@1000).