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Swails EE, Ardón M, Krauss KW, Peralta AL, Emanuel RE, Helton AM, Morse JL, Gutenberg L, Cormier N, Shoch D, Settlemyer S, Soderholm E, Boutin BP, Peoples C, Ward S. Response of soil respiration to changes in soil temperature and water table level in drained and restored peatlands of the southeastern United States. CARBON BALANCE AND MANAGEMENT 2022; 17:18. [PMID: 36401735 PMCID: PMC9675111 DOI: 10.1186/s13021-022-00219-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Extensive drainage of peatlands in the southeastern United States coastal plain for the purposes of agriculture and timber harvesting has led to large releases of soil carbon as carbon dioxide (CO2) due to enhanced peat decomposition. Growth in mechanisms that provide financial incentives for reducing emissions from land use and land-use change could increase funding for hydrological restoration that reduces peat CO2 emissions from these ecosystems. Measuring soil respiration and physical drivers across a range of site characteristics and land use histories is valuable for understanding how CO2 emissions from peat decomposition may respond to raising water table levels. We combined measurements of total soil respiration, depth to water table from soil surface, and soil temperature from drained and restored peatlands at three locations in eastern North Carolina and one location in southeastern Virginia to investigate relationships among total soil respiration and physical drivers, and to develop models relating total soil respiration to parameters that can be easily measured and monitored in the field. RESULTS Total soil respiration increased with deeper water tables and warmer soil temperatures in both drained and hydrologically restored peatlands. Variation in soil respiration was more strongly linked to soil temperature at drained (R2 = 0.57, p < 0.0001) than restored sites (R2 = 0.28, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that drainage amplifies the impact of warming temperatures on peat decomposition. Proxy measurements for estimation of CO2 emissions from peat decomposition represent a considerable cost reduction compared to direct soil flux measurements for land managers contemplating the potential climate impact of restoring drained peatland sites. Research can help to increase understanding of factors influencing variation in soil respiration in addition to physical variables such as depth to water table and soil temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- E E Swails
- TerraCarbon LLC, Peoria, IL, USA.
- Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia.
| | - M Ardón
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - K W Krauss
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, LA, USA
| | - A L Peralta
- East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | | | - A M Helton
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - J L Morse
- Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
| | | | - N Cormier
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, LA, USA
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - D Shoch
- TerraCarbon LLC, Peoria, IL, USA
| | | | - E Soderholm
- The Nature Conservancy, North Carolina Chapter, Durham, NC, USA
| | - B P Boutin
- The Nature Conservancy, North Carolina Chapter, Durham, NC, USA
| | - C Peoples
- The Nature Conservancy, North Carolina Chapter, Durham, NC, USA
| | - S Ward
- United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Raleigh Ecological Services Field Office, Raleigh, NC, USA
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Wang M, Xu S, Wang S, Chen C, Wang Y, Liu L. Responses of soil enzyme activities and bacterial community structure to different hydrological regimes during peatland restoration in the Changbai Mountain, northeast China. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1005657. [PMID: 36118204 PMCID: PMC9478802 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1005657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Appropriate hydrological management is critical for peatland restoration. An important prerequisite for peatland restoration is a recovery of soil biological processes. However, little is known about the effects of different hydrological management practices on soil biological processes during peatland restoration. In this study, the variations in soil properties, enzyme activities, and bacterial communities across different peatlands, namely natural peatland (NP), peatland restored under high water level (HR), peatland restored under alternating high-low water level (HLR), peatland restored under low water level (LR), and degraded peatland (DP), in the Changbai Mountains were investigated. Results showed that soil organic carbon, soil water content, and total nitrogen in NP were significantly higher than those in restored and degraded peatlands, and these soil properties in restored peatlands increased with the water level. The activities of soil hydrolases including β-1, 4-glucosidase, β-1, 4-n-acetylglucosidase, and acid phosphatase in NP were higher than in restored and degraded peatlands, while the activity of polyphenol oxidase in NP was the lowest. In restored peatlands, all measured enzyme activities decreased with the decline in water level. Both bacterial diversity and richness in NP were the lowest, while the highest diversity and richness were observed in HR. Redundancy analysis indicated that soil organic carbon, water level, soil water content, total nitrogen, and pH were the most important factors that affected the soil enzyme activities and bacterial community. Our findings give insight into the effects of different hydrological regimes on soil biological processes during peatland restoration. Maintaining a high water level early in the restoration process is more beneficial to restoring the ecological functions of peatlands than other hydrological regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Wang
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Shangqi Xu
- School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, China
- *Correspondence: Shangqi Xu,
| | - Shengzhong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Institute for Peat and Mire Research, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Cong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Yuting Wang
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
| | - Lei Liu
- Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of Jilin, Changchun, China
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Monteverde S, Healy M, O'Leary D, Daly E, Callery O. Management and rehabilitation of peatlands: The role of water chemistry, hydrology, policy, and emerging monitoring methods to ensure informed decision making. ECOL INFORM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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