Warming promotes the use of organic matter as an electron acceptor in a peatland

Rush, Jessica E.; Zalman, Cassandra A.; Woerndle, Glenn; Hanna, Emily L.; Bridgham, Scott D.; Keller, Jason K.

doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115303

Warming promotes the use of organic matter as an electron acceptor in a peatland

Journal Article · Mon Jun 28 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Geoderma

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115303· OSTI ID:1977160

Rush, Jessica E. ^[1]; Zalman, Cassandra A. ^[2]; Woerndle, Glenn ^[2]; Hanna, Emily L. ^[2]; Bridgham, Scott D. ^[3]; Keller, Jason K. ^[2]

Chapman Univ., Orange, CA (United States); Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); OSTI
Chapman Univ., Orange, CA (United States)
Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States)

Peatlands store approximately one-half of terrestrial soil organic carbon (C) and the future of this C in the face of ongoing global change remains a key question in global biogeochemistry. Particularly pressing is the need to understand if this C will remain in peatland soils or be returned to the atmosphere as the potent greenhouse gas methane (CH₄) in response to warming. Past work has demonstrated that the microbial reduction of organic matter (OM) as an alternative terminal electron acceptor (TEA) under anaerobic conditions can suppress CH₄ production and is a key mechanistic control of peatland CH₄ dynamics. Here we show that warming directly enhances rates of potential OM reduction in peatland soils, enhancing acetate availability and allowing for a faster onset of CH₄ production. Finally, using soils collected from the ecosystem-scale Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) experiment, we also show that while there were no indirect effects of 2 years of soil warming on potential OM reduction through changes in soil quality, warming-mediated lowering of the water table increased the volume of oxidized OM which will suppress CH₄ production following rewetting events.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Chapman Univ., Orange, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0014416

OSTI ID:: 1977160

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1798945

Journal Information:: Geoderma, Journal Name: Geoderma Journal Issue: C Vol. 401; ISSN 0016-7061

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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