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Surface vegetation patterning controls carbon accumulation in peatlands
Author(s) -
Loisel Julie,
Yu Zicheng
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/grl.50744
Subject(s) - peat , bog , vegetation (pathology) , sphagnum , environmental science , ecosystem , carbon sequestration , carbon fibers , earth science , carbon cycle , geology , ecology , physical geography , soil science , carbon dioxide , biology , geography , medicine , materials science , pathology , composite number , composite material
Localized ecohydrological feedbacks have been proposed as important internal drivers of patterns and processes in terrestrial ecosystems. However, there is a significant gap between the prominence of theoretical models and the paucity of observations describing linkages between ecosystem structure and functioning. Here we report empirical evidence for strong interactions between surface vegetation patterning and long‐term carbon sequestration rates in four peat bogs in Patagonia on the basis of high‐resolution stratigraphic analyses. Peatland development across the study region was characterized by repeated switches between wet‐ and dry‐adapted plant communities, depicting changes between hollows (wet assemblages) and lawns (dry assemblages) that could represent past surface patterning. We found a site‐specific relationship between the frequency of the wet‐to‐dry cycles and carbon accumulation rates that followed a power function, with rapid vegetation shifts causing high peat accumulation rates. Our results show strong evidence for internal regulation of vegetation dynamics and peatland growth, implying that understanding peatland processes is a prerequisite for peat‐based paleoclimate reconstructions.