Response of Sphagnum species mixtures to increased temperature and nitrogen availability
Response of Sphagnum species mixtures to increased temperature and nitrogen availability
To predict the role of ombrotrophic bogs as carbon sinks in the future, it is crucial to understand how Sphagnum vegetation in bogs will respond to global change. We performed a greenhouse experiment to study the effects of two temperature treatments (17.5 and 21.7°C) and two N addition treatments (0 and 4 g N m-2 year-1) on the growth of four Sphagnum species from three geographically interspersed regions: S. fuscum, S. balticum (northern and central Sweden), S. magellanicum and S. cuspidatum (southern Sweden). We studied the growth and cover change in four combinations of these Sphagnum species during two growing seasons. Sphagnum height increment and production were affected negatively by high temperature and high N addition. However, the northern species were more affected by temperature, while the southern species were more affected by N addition. High temperature depressed the cover of the 'wet' species, S. balticum and S. cuspidatum. Nitrogen concentrations increased with high N addition. N:P and N:K ratios indicated P-limited growth in all treatments and co-limitation of P and K in the high N treatments. In the second year of the experiment, several containers suffered from a severe fungal infection, particularly affecting the 'wet' species and the high N treatment. Our findings suggest that global change can have negative consequences for the production of Sphagnum species in bogs, with important implications for the carbon sequestration in these ecosystems.
Climate change, Fungal infection, Nitrogen deposition, Ombrotrophic bog, Production, Species cover, Sphagnum, Temperature
97-111
Breeuwer, Angela
50f6b3a4-6839-4420-bc17-a1b08a81cad5
Heijmans, Monique M P D
b425bd97-3826-40f5-ac93-27609ae32af2
Gleichman, Maurits
c3e2b9fb-5080-4d75-b8f9-2f5f15873ed5
Robroek, Bjorn J M
06dcb269-687c-41db-ab73-f61899617f92
Berendse, Frank
93c8d1e5-65ee-45ae-80d0-8e42e08ad007
2009
Breeuwer, Angela
50f6b3a4-6839-4420-bc17-a1b08a81cad5
Heijmans, Monique M P D
b425bd97-3826-40f5-ac93-27609ae32af2
Gleichman, Maurits
c3e2b9fb-5080-4d75-b8f9-2f5f15873ed5
Robroek, Bjorn J M
06dcb269-687c-41db-ab73-f61899617f92
Berendse, Frank
93c8d1e5-65ee-45ae-80d0-8e42e08ad007
Breeuwer, Angela, Heijmans, Monique M P D, Gleichman, Maurits, Robroek, Bjorn J M and Berendse, Frank
(2009)
Response of Sphagnum species mixtures to increased temperature and nitrogen availability.
Plant Ecology, 204 (1), .
(doi:10.1007/s11258-009-9571-x).
Abstract
To predict the role of ombrotrophic bogs as carbon sinks in the future, it is crucial to understand how Sphagnum vegetation in bogs will respond to global change. We performed a greenhouse experiment to study the effects of two temperature treatments (17.5 and 21.7°C) and two N addition treatments (0 and 4 g N m-2 year-1) on the growth of four Sphagnum species from three geographically interspersed regions: S. fuscum, S. balticum (northern and central Sweden), S. magellanicum and S. cuspidatum (southern Sweden). We studied the growth and cover change in four combinations of these Sphagnum species during two growing seasons. Sphagnum height increment and production were affected negatively by high temperature and high N addition. However, the northern species were more affected by temperature, while the southern species were more affected by N addition. High temperature depressed the cover of the 'wet' species, S. balticum and S. cuspidatum. Nitrogen concentrations increased with high N addition. N:P and N:K ratios indicated P-limited growth in all treatments and co-limitation of P and K in the high N treatments. In the second year of the experiment, several containers suffered from a severe fungal infection, particularly affecting the 'wet' species and the high N treatment. Our findings suggest that global change can have negative consequences for the production of Sphagnum species in bogs, with important implications for the carbon sequestration in these ecosystems.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Published date: 2009
Keywords:
Climate change, Fungal infection, Nitrogen deposition, Ombrotrophic bog, Production, Species cover, Sphagnum, Temperature
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 413684
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/413684
ISSN: 1385-0237
PURE UUID: 82f26fe0-ab96-494c-aa82-b1f6119d034d
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 31 Aug 2017 16:31
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 15:02
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Angela Breeuwer
Author:
Monique M P D Heijmans
Author:
Maurits Gleichman
Author:
Bjorn J M Robroek
Author:
Frank Berendse
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics