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Regulation of Decomposition and Methane Dynamics across Natural, Commercially Mined, and Restored Northern Peatlands

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Abstract

We examined aerobic and anaerobic microbial carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) exchange in peat samples representing different profiles at natural, mined, mined-abandoned, and restored northern peatlands and characterized the nutrient and substrate chemistry and microbial biomass of these soils. Mining and abandonment led to reduced nutrient and substrate availability and occasionally drier conditions in surface peat resulting in a drastic reduction in CO2 and CH4 production, in agreement with previous studies. Owing mainly to wetter conditions, CH4 production and oxidation were faster in restored block-cut than natural sites, whereas in one restored site, increased substrate and nutrient availability led to much more rapid rates of CO2 production. Our work in restored block-cut sites compliments that in vacuum-harvested peatlands undergoing more recent active restoration attempts. The sites we examined covered a large range of soil C substrate quality, nutrient availability, microbial biomass, and microbial activities, allowing us to draw general conclusions about controls on microbial CO2 and CH4 dynamics using stepwise regression analysis among all sites and soil depths. Aerobic and anaerobic decomposition of peat was constrained by organic matter quality, particularly phosphorus (P) and carbon (C) chemistry, and closely linked to the size of the microbial biomass supported by these limiting resources. Methane production was more dominantly controlled by field moisture content (a proxy for anaerobism), even after 20 days of anaerobic laboratory incubation, and to a lesser extent by C substrate availability. As methanogens likely represented only a small proportion of the total microbial biomass, there were no links between total microbial biomass and CH4 production. Methane oxidation was controlled by the same factors influencing CH4 production, leading to the conclusion that CH4 oxidation is primarily controlled by substrate (that is, CH4) availability. Although restoring hydrology similar to natural sites may re-establish CH4 dynamics, there is geographic or site-specific variability in the ability to restore peat decomposition dynamics.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Mike Dalva, Helénè Lalande, Dr. Stephan Glatzel, Michelle Marinier (McGill University), Louise Florent, Eglantine Imbeault, Dr. Judith Frégeau-Reid, and Dr. Henri Dinel (Agriculture and Agrifood Canada- Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre) for intellectual and technical support. Premier Horticulture and Sun Gro Horticulture graciously allowed site access. We are grateful for funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (TRM), McGill University (NB), and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (CB). The comments of Mike Waddington and an anonymous reviewer greatly improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Centre for Climate and Global Change Research, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke St. West, QC, H3A 2K6, Montreal, Canada

    Nathan Basiliko, Christian Blodau, Charlotte Roehm & Tim R. Moore

  2. Limnological Research Station and Department of Hydrology, University of Bayreuth, 95444, Bayreuth, Germany

    Christian Blodau & Charlotte Roehm

  3. Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888 succursale Centre Ville, QC, H3C CP8, Montreal, Canada

    Charlotte Roehm

  4. Department of Forest Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, BC, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, Canada

    Per Bengtson

  5. Department of Geography, University of Toronto, Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. North, Mississauga, L5L 1C6, ON, Canada

    Nathan Basiliko

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  1. Nathan Basiliko
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Correspondence to Nathan Basiliko.

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Basiliko, N., Blodau, C., Roehm, C. et al. Regulation of Decomposition and Methane Dynamics across Natural, Commercially Mined, and Restored Northern Peatlands. Ecosystems 10, 1148–1165 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-007-9083-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-007-9083-2

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