The effects of drought on Sphagnum moss species and the implications for hydrology in peatlands.

Peatlands store more carbon (C) than any other terrestrial ecosystem and as a C sink they are vital to mitigating climate change. The keystone of many peatland ecosystems is Sphagnum, a bryophyte genus of c. 350 species found on every continent except Antarctica.

Effects of burning on vegetation, soil physicochemistry and prokaryotic microbial communities in surface and subsurface peat.

Prescribed burning is a common management strategy in peatlands that has the potential to affect soil physicochemistry, alter biogeochemical cycles and trigger changes in vegetation structure. How burning affects prokaryotic community composition across different soil profiles is not well understood. This study explored the effects of prescribed burning on the diversity of prokaryotic communities in peat soils.

Long-term nitrogen deposition increases heathland carbon sequestration.

The large increases in reactive nitrogen (N) deposition in developed countries since the Industrial Revolution have had a marked impact on ecosystem functioning, including declining species richness, shifts in species composition, and increased N leaching. A potential mitigation of these harmful effects is the action of N as a fertiliser, which, through increasing primary productivity (and subsequently, organic matter production), has the potential to increase ecosystem carbon (C) storage. Here we report the response of an upland heath to 10years of experimental N addition.