Insights into Holocene peat decomposition, vulnerability and vegetation change in the central Congo Basin
Abstract
Central Africa's hydroclimate has experienced significant fluctuations over the past 20 000 years, having a marked impact on both humans and ecosystems. A drying trend between approximately 5000 and 2000 years ago caused peat decomposition, carbon release and a change in forest composition in the world's largest tropical peatland. Here, we investigate the nature of the peat decomposition and its impact on the peat swamp forest at four sites in the central Congo Basin peatlands. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, carbon–to-nitrogen ratios (C/N) and age–depth chronologies show that peat decomposition was characterized by the preferential degradation of aromatic compounds, resulting in major peat loss dated to between 7500 and 800 cal yr BP. Distinct site-specific responses, unique to interfluvial versus river floodplain peatlands, were probably shaped by the interaction of regional drying, local hydrological conditions and different patterns of vegetation succession. While our results reflect differing hydrological resilience, all sites showed substantial peat loss and a change in forest composition, underscoring the Congo peatlands’ vulnerability to hydroclimate change. This provides important initial insights into the mechanisms of peat loss—knowledge that is necessary for peatland protection and restoration. A French translation of this abstract is available in the supplementary material. A French translation of this abstract is available in the supplementary material. This article is part of the discussion meeting issue ‘African tropical peatlands: function, value and vulnerability’.
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BibTeX
@article{hawthorne2026insights,
title = {{Insights into Holocene peat decomposition, vulnerability and vegetation change in the central Congo Basin}},
author = {Donna Hawthorne and Johanna Menges and Arnoud Boom and Brian Chase and Kirby Robinson and Genevieve Tyrrell and Greta Dargie and Nicholas Girkin and Bart Crezee and Yannick Enock Bocko and Suspense Ifo and Ian Lawson and Paul Morris and Pauline Gulliver and Simon Lewis},
journal = {Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1098/rstb.2024.0477},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05755877v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Insights into Holocene peat decomposition, vulnerability and vegetation change in the central Congo Basin
AU - Donna Hawthorne
AU - Johanna Menges
AU - Arnoud Boom
AU - Brian Chase
AU - Kirby Robinson
AU - Genevieve Tyrrell
AU - Greta Dargie
AU - Nicholas Girkin
AU - Bart Crezee
AU - Yannick Enock Bocko
AU - Suspense Ifo
AU - Ian Lawson
AU - Paul Morris
AU - Pauline Gulliver
AU - Simon Lewis
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/20
JO - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
DO - 10.1098/rstb.2024.0477
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05755877v1
AB - Central Africa's hydroclimate has experienced significant fluctuations over the past 20 000 years, having a marked impact on both humans and ecosystems. A drying trend between approximately 5000 and 2000 years ago caused peat decomposition, carbon release and a change in forest composition in the world's largest tropical peatland. Here, we investigate the nature of the peat decomposition and its impact on the peat swamp forest at four sites in the central Congo Basin peatlands. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, carbon–to-nitrogen ratios (C/N) and age–depth chronologies show that peat decomposition was characterized by the preferential degradation of aromatic compounds, resulting in major peat loss dated to between 7500 and 800 cal yr BP. Distinct site-specific responses, unique to interfluvial versus river floodplain peatlands, were probably shaped by the interaction of regional drying, local hydrological conditions and different patterns of vegetation succession. While our results reflect differing hydrological resilience, all sites showed substantial peat loss and a change in forest composition, underscoring the Congo peatlands’ vulnerability to hydroclimate change. This provides important initial insights into the mechanisms of peat loss—knowledge that is necessary for peatland protection and restoration. A French translation of this abstract is available in the supplementary material. A French translation of this abstract is available in the supplementary material. This article is part of the discussion meeting issue ‘African tropical peatlands: function, value and vulnerability’.
SN - 0962-8436
SN - 1471-2970
ER -