{
  "abstract": "Human degradation has caused many peatlands worldwide to shift from long-term carbon sinks to net sources. In upland blanket peatlands, erosion disrupts plant-derived carbon input and exposes deep peat, accelerating oxidation of old carbon. The efficacy of restoration in preventing carbon loss and recovering ecosystem function depends on microbial responses to both water table manipulation and renewed litter input. Yet it is unclear how these factors alter the microbial communities that ultimately control carbon storage and emissions. Here we show that microbial community composition in the eroded Waun Fignen Felen peatland, South Wales, was governed primarily by organic matter bioavailability rather than water-table position. Long-term erosion leaves a legacy of highly decomposed organic matter, unaltered by re-wetting. Where plant litter accumulation is renewed on formerly eroded peat surfaces, the influx of bioavailable organic input supports a distinct prokaryote community with a greater bacterial population size, and evidence of elevated respiration.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.",
    "Cabot Institute for the Environment, Royal Fort House, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.",
    "Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.",
    "Present Address: GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany.",
    "Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, Brecon, Powys UK.",
    "School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.",
    "School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd UK.",
    "Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Fin Ring-Hrubesh",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3836-8607"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Mike Vreeken"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Anne Eberle"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Bradley Welch"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Paul Sinnadurai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Penny Johnes",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1605-6896"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Robert Griffiths",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3341-4547"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Angela Gallego-Sala",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7483-7773"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Richard Pancost",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0298-4026"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Casey Bryce",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1132-5201"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3njs58d19txs2.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s43247-026-03766-8",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13683034",
  "id": "3njs58d19txs2",
  "issns": [
    "2662-4435"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908696",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "GE1-350"
    ],
    [
      "lcc",
      "QE1-996.5"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2303|Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W4416213639",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13683034?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13683034",
  "pmid": "42908696",
  "published": "2026-06-01",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3njs58d19txs2.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:59Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42908696",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42908696"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:46:18Z",
      "native_id": "0038bb97e8de4262881d7947d9e1205c",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03766-8"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2303|Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology",
      "subfield": "ecology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Legacy of peatland erosion shapes microbial communities during recovery.",
  "title_text": "Legacy of peatland erosion shapes microbial communities during recovery.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T14:20:50Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3njs58d19txs2",
  "venue": "Communications earth & environment",
  "versions": []
}