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. Peatlands, storing significant amounts of carbon, areextremely vulnerable to climate change. The effects of climate change areprojected to lead to a vegetation shift from Sphagnum mosses to sedges and shrubs.Impacts on the present moss-dominated peat remain largely unknown. In thisstudy, we used a multiproxy approach to investigate the influence ofcontrasting vascular plant types (sedges, shrubs) on peat chemistry anddecomposition. Peat cores of 20 cm depth and plant material (Sphagnum spp., Calluna vulgaris and Eriophorum vaginatum) from twoombrotrophic peatlands in the Italian Alps with a mean annual temperaturedifference of 1.4 ∘C were analyzed. Peat cores were taken underadjacent shrub and sedge plants growing at the same height above the watertable. We used carbon, nitrogen and their stable isotopes to assess generalpatterns in the degree of decomposition across sampling locations anddepths. In addition, analytical pyrolysis was applied to disentangle effectsof vascular plants (sedge, shrub) on chemical properties and decompositionof the moss-dominated peat. Pyrolysis data confirmed that Sphagnum moss dominated the present peatirrespective of depth. Nevertheless, vascular plants contributed to peatproperties as revealed by, e.g., pyrolysis products of lignin. The degree ofpeat decomposition increased with depth as shown by, e.g., decreasing amountsof the pyrolysis product of sphagnum acid and increasing δ13Cwith depth. Multiple parameters also revealed a higher degree ofdecomposition of Sphagnum-dominated peat collected under sedges than under shrubs,particularly at the high temperature site. Surprisingly, temperature effectson peat decomposition were less pronounced than those of sedges. Our resultsimply that vascular plants affect the decomposition of the existing peatformed by Sphagnum, particularly at elevated temperature. These results suggest thatchanges in plant functional types may have a stronger impact on the soilcarbon feedback in a warmer world than hitherto assumed.

Vascular plants affect properties and decomposition of moss-dominated peat, particularly at elevated temperatures