Climate warming and elevated CO2 alter peatland soil carbon sources and stability

Ofiti, Nicholas O. E.; Schmidt, Michael W. I.; Abiven, Samuel; Hanson, Paul J.; Iversen, Colleen M.; Wilson, Rachel M.; Kostka, Joel E.; Wiesenberg, Guido L. B.; Malhotra, Avni

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-43410-z

Title: Climate warming and elevated CO₂ alter peatland soil carbon sources and stability

Journal Article · 20 November 2023 · Nature Communications

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43410-z · OSTI ID:2246590

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University of Zurich (Switzerland); PSL Research University, Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours (France)
University of Zurich (Switzerland)
PSL Research University, Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours (France); Ecole normale supérieure (ENS), Paris (France)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (United States)
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
University of Zurich (Switzerland); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Peatlands are an important carbon (C) reservoir storing one-third of global soil organic carbon (SOC), but little is known about the fate of these C stocks under climate change. Here, we examine the impact of warming and elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration (eCO₂) on the molecular composition of SOC to infer SOC sources (microbe-, plant- and fire-derived) and stability in a boreal peatland. We show that while warming alone decreased plant- and microbe-derived SOC due to enhanced decomposition, warming combined with eCO₂ increased plant-derived SOC compounds. We further observed increasing root-derived inputs (suberin) and declining leaf/needle-derived inputs (cutin) into SOC under warming and eCO₂. The decline in SOC compounds with warming and gains from new root-derived C under eCO₂, suggest that warming and eCO₂ may shift peatland C budget towards pools with faster turnover. Together, our results indicate that climate change may increase inputs and enhance decomposition of SOC potentially destabilising C storage in peatlands.

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Research Organization:: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

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

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0023297; AC05-00OR22725; AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 2246590

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2331435; OSTI ID: 2345284

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA-192357

Journal Information:: Nature Communications, Vol. 14, Issue 1; ISSN 2041-1723

Publisher:: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Climate warming and elevated CO2 alter peatland soil carbon sources and stability

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References (52)

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Title: Climate warming and elevated CO₂ alter peatland soil carbon sources and stability