Open AccessStable isotope signals provide seasonal climatic markers for moss functional groups
Author(s) -
Jessica Royles,
Sophie N. R. Young,
Howard Griffiths
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings - royal society. biological sciences/proceedings - royal society. biological sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.342
H-Index - 253
eISSN - 1471-2954
pISSN - 0962-8452
DOI - 10.1098/rspb.2021.2470
Subject(s) - sphagnum , moss , bog , peat , environmental science , stable isotope ratio , ecology , woodland , botany , biology , physics , quantum mechanics
Living moss biomass and archival peat deposits represent key indicators of present and past climatic conditions, but prediction of future climatic impacts requires appropriate marker species to be characterized under a range of contemporary conditions. Stable isotope signals in high latitude moss deposits offer potential climatic proxies. Seasonal changes in δ13 C and δ18 O of organic material (cellulose) in representative functional groups, and associated photosynthetic activity (as chlorophyll fluorescence) have been compared across East Anglia, UK, as a function of tissue water content. Representative species from contrasting acid bog, heathland, and fen woodland habitats were selected for monthly sampling of recent growth tissues between spring 2017 and autumn 2018, with isotopic signals in purified cellulose compared with tissue water, precipitation, and nearby groundwater signals. Sphagnum and Polytrichum groups, which tend to dominate peat formation, provided contrasting and complementary indicators of seasonal variations in carbon assimilation. Cellulose δ18 O signals fromSphagnum spp. demonstrate seasonal variations in source precipitation inputs; carbon isotope signals inPolytrichum spp. indicate evaporative demand and photosynthetic limitation.