{
  "abstract": "Lakes are important components of the land carbon cycle, but how floating mats during lake terrestrialization reshape aquatic organic carbon remains unclear. Here we show, using seasonal field observations, carbon isotope tracing, and structural equation modelling, that floating mats reorganize dissolved and particulate organic carbon in a floating wetland system. During the growing season, acidic and hypoxic water beneath floating mats forms a hotspot of dissolved organic carbon accumulation, with concentrations exceeding 200 mg/L, compared with values below 40 mg/L in nearby open-water zones. Ice-covered conditions weaken this local gradient and produce more uniform dissolved organic carbon distributions. Source tracing indicates a shift from floating-mat-derived organic matter near the mats to stronger nearshore contributions away from them. Structural equation modelling further links carbon variability to biological production, water chemistry, temperature, and sediment–water exchange. These findings show that floating mats act as both sources and modulators of aquatic organic carbon during lake terrestrialization.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences",
    "College of Geographic Sciences, Changchun Normal University"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Geng Cui"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yan Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Long Yan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shouzheng Tong"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ming Jiang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Chuanyu Gao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Weiyu Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xin Liu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5dfw0sq2qq72p.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s43247-026-03972-4",
  "fulltext_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03972-4",
  "id": "5dfw0sq2qq72p",
  "issns": [
    "2662-4435"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03972-4",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "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": "W7203980901",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-026-03972-4_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-08-01",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5dfw0sq2qq72p.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:46:27Z",
      "native_id": "dc17ea4f197148069042904a14cc3fce",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03972-4"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2303|Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology",
      "subfield": "ecology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Seasonal dynamics of aquatic organic carbon driven by floating-mat formation in a terrestrializing lake",
  "title_text": "Seasonal dynamics of aquatic organic carbon driven by floating-mat formation in a terrestrializing lake",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T13:46:27Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5dfw0sq2qq72p",
  "venue": "Communications Earth & Environment",
  "versions": []
}