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Title: Biophysical drivers of seasonal variability in Sphagnum gross primary production in a northern temperate bog

Abstract

Abstract Sphagnum mosses are the keystone species of peatland ecosystems. With rapid rates of climate change occurring in high latitudes, vast reservoirs of carbon accumulated over millennia in peatland ecosystems are potentially vulnerable to rising temperature and changing precipitation. We investigate the seasonal drivers of Sphagnum gross primary production (GPP)—the entry point of carbon into wetland ecosystems. Continuous flux measurements and flux partitioning show a seasonal cycle of Sphagnum GPP that peaked in the late summer, well after the peak in photosynthetically active radiation. Wavelet analysis showed that water table height was the key driver of weekly variation in Sphagnum GPP in the early summer and that temperature was the primary driver of GPP in the late summer and autumn. Flux partitioning and a process‐based model of Sphagnum photosynthesis demonstrated the likelihood of seasonally dynamic maximum rates of photosynthesis and a logistic relationship between the water table and photosynthesizing tissue area when the water table was at the Sphagnum surface. The model also suggested that variability in internal resistance to CO 2 transport, a function of Sphagnum water content, had minimal effect on GPP. To accurately model Sphagnum GPP, we recommend the following: (1) understanding seasonal photosynthetic trait variation andmore » its triggers in Sphagnum ; (2) characterizing the interaction of Sphagnum photosynthesizing tissue area with water table height; (3) modeling Sphagnum as a “soil” layer for consistent simulation of water dynamics; and (4) measurement of Sphagnum “canopy” properties: extinction coefficient ( k ), clumping (Ω), and maximum stem area index (SAI).« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), United States Forest Service (USFS), Grand Rapids
  2. ORNL
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1376398
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1402147
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 122; Journal Issue: 5; Journal ID: ISSN 2169-8953
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats

Sebestyen, Stephen D., Norby, Richard J., Hanson, Paul J., Wullschleger, Stan D., Gu, Lianhong, Weston, David, Walker, Anthony P., Carter, Kelsey R., and Malhotra, Avni. Biophysical drivers of seasonal variability in Sphagnum gross primary production in a northern temperate bog. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1002/2016JG003711.
Sebestyen, Stephen D., Norby, Richard J., Hanson, Paul J., Wullschleger, Stan D., Gu, Lianhong, Weston, David, Walker, Anthony P., Carter, Kelsey R., & Malhotra, Avni. Biophysical drivers of seasonal variability in Sphagnum gross primary production in a northern temperate bog. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JG003711
Sebestyen, Stephen D., Norby, Richard J., Hanson, Paul J., Wullschleger, Stan D., Gu, Lianhong, Weston, David, Walker, Anthony P., Carter, Kelsey R., and Malhotra, Avni. Tue . "Biophysical drivers of seasonal variability in Sphagnum gross primary production in a northern temperate bog". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JG003711. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1376398.
@article{osti_1376398,
title = {Biophysical drivers of seasonal variability in Sphagnum gross primary production in a northern temperate bog},
author = {Sebestyen, Stephen D. and Norby, Richard J. and Hanson, Paul J. and Wullschleger, Stan D. and Gu, Lianhong and Weston, David and Walker, Anthony P. and Carter, Kelsey R. and Malhotra, Avni},
abstractNote = {Abstract Sphagnum mosses are the keystone species of peatland ecosystems. With rapid rates of climate change occurring in high latitudes, vast reservoirs of carbon accumulated over millennia in peatland ecosystems are potentially vulnerable to rising temperature and changing precipitation. We investigate the seasonal drivers of Sphagnum gross primary production (GPP)—the entry point of carbon into wetland ecosystems. Continuous flux measurements and flux partitioning show a seasonal cycle of Sphagnum GPP that peaked in the late summer, well after the peak in photosynthetically active radiation. Wavelet analysis showed that water table height was the key driver of weekly variation in Sphagnum GPP in the early summer and that temperature was the primary driver of GPP in the late summer and autumn. Flux partitioning and a process‐based model of Sphagnum photosynthesis demonstrated the likelihood of seasonally dynamic maximum rates of photosynthesis and a logistic relationship between the water table and photosynthesizing tissue area when the water table was at the Sphagnum surface. The model also suggested that variability in internal resistance to CO 2 transport, a function of Sphagnum water content, had minimal effect on GPP. To accurately model Sphagnum GPP, we recommend the following: (1) understanding seasonal photosynthetic trait variation and its triggers in Sphagnum ; (2) characterizing the interaction of Sphagnum photosynthesizing tissue area with water table height; (3) modeling Sphagnum as a “soil” layer for consistent simulation of water dynamics; and (4) measurement of Sphagnum “canopy” properties: extinction coefficient ( k ), clumping (Ω), and maximum stem area index (SAI).},
doi = {10.1002/2016JG003711},
journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research. Biogeosciences},
number = 5,
volume = 122,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Apr 18 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Tue Apr 18 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

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Cited by: 17 works
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Dynamic Vertical Profiles of Peat Porewater Chemistry in a Northern Peatland
journal, October 2016


Modelling photosynthesis of cotton grown in elevated CO2
journal, April 1992


Can a bog drained for forestry be a stronger carbon sink than a natural bog forest?
journal, January 2014


A dynamic model of wetland extent and peat accumulation: results for the Holocene
journal, January 2012


A comprehensive data acquisition and management system for an ecosystem-scale peatland warming and elevated CO2 experiment
journal, January 2015

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Ecosystem Respiration in a Cool Temperate Bog Depends on Peat Temperature But Not Water Table
journal, September 2005


Mixing ratio and species affect the use of substrate‐derived CO 2 by Sphagnum
journal, January 2008

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journal, January 2012


Evaporation from a sphagnum moss surface
journal, November 1980


The effects of water table manipulation and elevated temperature on the net CO 2 flux of wet sedge tundra ecosystems
journal, January 1998


On the separation of net ecosystem exchange into assimilation and ecosystem respiration: review and improved algorithm
journal, September 2005


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journal, February 2007


Representing northern peatland microtopography and hydrology within the Community Land Model
journal, January 2015


McGill wetland model: evaluation of a peatland carbon simulator developed for global assessments
journal, January 2010


Biosphere-atmosphere exchange of CO2 in relation to climate: a cross-biome analysis across multiple time scales
journal, January 2009


Sensitivity of C Sequestration in Reintroduced Sphagnum to Water-Level Variation in a Cutaway Peatland
journal, December 2004


Response of bog and fen Plant Communities to Warming and Water-Table Manipulations
journal, December 2000


Postfire carbon balance in boreal bogs of Alberta, Canada
journal, January 2009


Measuring and modelling environmental influences on photosynthetic gas exchange in Sphagnum and Pleurozium
journal, June 1998


Works referencing / citing this record:

Decadal carbon decomposition dynamics in three peatlands in Northern Minnesota
journal, September 2019


Rapid loss of an ecosystem engineer: Sphagnum decline in an experimentally warmed bog
journal, October 2019

  • Norby, Richard J.; Childs, Joanne; Hanson, Paul J.
  • Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 9, Issue 22
  • DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5722