Limited effect of increased atmospheric CO 2 concentration on ombrotrophic bog vegetation

Summary Boreal and subarctic peatlands contain 20–30% of the world’s soil organic carbon, and if growing, they constitute sinks for atmospheric CO 2 . We hypothesized that even in the nutrient‐poor bog environment, elevated CO 2 would stimulate Sphagnum growth more than vascular plant growth, thereb...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:New Phytologist
Main Authors: Hoosbeek, Marcel R., Van Breemen, Nico, Berendse, Frank, Grosvernier, Philippe, Vasander, Harri, Wallén, Bo
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2001
Subjects:
Subarctic
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2001.00096.x
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1046%2Fj.1469-8137.2001.00096.x
https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2001.00096.x
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Summary:Summary Boreal and subarctic peatlands contain 20–30% of the world’s soil organic carbon, and if growing, they constitute sinks for atmospheric CO 2 . We hypothesized that even in the nutrient‐poor bog environment, elevated CO 2 would stimulate Sphagnum growth more than vascular plant growth, thereby improving Sphagnum’s competitive strength and enhancing carbon (C) sequestration. Free‐air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) experiments took place on predominantly ombrotrophic peatbog‐lawns in Finland (FI), Sweden (SW), The Netherlands (NL), and Switzerland (CH). After 3 yr of treatment, increased CO 2 concentration (560 ppm on volume basis) had no significant effect on Sphagnum or vascular plant biomass at either site. This research suggests that, just as with other nutrient‐poor ecosystems, increased atmospheric CO 2 concentrations will have a limited effect on bog ecosystems.

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