Plant functional type composition drives summer carbon cycling in an ombrotrophic peatland.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Ecology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, 6525 AJ The Netherlands.
- 2Department of Biology, Lund University, Kontaktvägen 10, Lund, 223 62 Sweden.
- 3Department of Environmental Sciences, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, Nijmegen, 6525 AJ The Netherlands.
- 4School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ UK.
Abstract
Peatlands are globally important carbon sinks because plant CO2 uptake outweighs microbial decomposition. These ecosystems are characterised by a distinct microtopography of hummocks and lawns, supporting vegetation communities composed of various plant functional types (PFTs). In this study we assess the direct effects of PFT removal and microhabitats, and the indirect effects mediated through microbial community composition on CO2 and CH4 emissions. We utilised a long-term factorial vascular plant removal experiment in a Sphagnum-dominated peatland in southern Sweden. We used structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse gas flux measurements and microbial community composition, and to assess both direct and mediated effects. Plots with intact vegetation exhibited the lowest CO2 emissions, which increased progressively with ericoid, graminoid, and both ericoid and graminoid removal. Microhabitat type influenced microbial community structure, and only the removal of all vascular plants affected bacterial composition. However, neither CO2 nor CH4 fluxes were shown to be mediated by microbial community composition; instead, CH4 emissions were directly shaped by microhabitat, with higher fluxes in lawns than hummocks. These results likely reflect the timing of sampling (August), when plant-driven CO2 uptake dominates carbon cycling dynamics, and the limited sampling depth (~ 5 cm), which likely excluded deeper-residing microbial groups that are relevant to carbon cycling. Nevertheless, these results show that summer CO2 emissions are primarily driven by vegetation composition, while microhabitat, i.e. water table and oxygen, differences are more important for CH4 emissions.
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BibTeX
@article{bagdonaitė2026plant,
title = {{Plant functional type composition drives summer carbon cycling in an ombrotrophic peatland.}},
author = {Agnė Bagdonaitė and Carrie L Thomas and Yvet Telgenkamp and Bjorn J M Robroek},
journal = {Community ecology : CE},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s42974-026-00357-7},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996426},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Plant functional type composition drives summer carbon cycling in an ombrotrophic peatland.
AU - Agnė Bagdonaitė
AU - Carrie L Thomas
AU - Yvet Telgenkamp
AU - Bjorn J M Robroek
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - Community ecology : CE
DO - 10.1007/s42974-026-00357-7
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996426
AB - Peatlands are globally important carbon sinks because plant CO2 uptake outweighs microbial decomposition. These ecosystems are characterised by a distinct microtopography of hummocks and lawns, supporting vegetation communities composed of various plant functional types (PFTs). In this study we assess the direct effects of PFT removal and microhabitats, and the indirect effects mediated through microbial community composition on CO2 and CH4 emissions. We utilised a long-term factorial vascular plant removal experiment in a Sphagnum-dominated peatland in southern Sweden. We used structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse gas flux measurements and microbial community composition, and to assess both direct and mediated effects. Plots with intact vegetation exhibited the lowest CO2 emissions, which increased progressively with ericoid, graminoid, and both ericoid and graminoid removal. Microhabitat type influenced microbial community structure, and only the removal of all vascular plants affected bacterial composition. However, neither CO2 nor CH4 fluxes were shown to be mediated by microbial community composition; instead, CH4 emissions were directly shaped by microhabitat, with higher fluxes in lawns than hummocks. These results likely reflect the timing of sampling (August), when plant-driven CO2 uptake dominates carbon cycling dynamics, and the limited sampling depth (~ 5 cm), which likely excluded deeper-residing microbial groups that are relevant to carbon cycling. Nevertheless, these results show that summer CO2 emissions are primarily driven by vegetation composition, while microhabitat, i.e. water table and oxygen, differences are more important for CH4 emissions.
SN - 1585-8553
SN - 1588-2756
ER -