Tropical peatland carbon storage linked to global latitudinal trends in peat recalcitrance.

ABSTRACT: Peatlands represent large terrestrial carbon banks. Given that most peat accumulates in boreal regions, where low temperatures and water saturation preserve organic matter, the existence of peat in (sub)tropical regions remains enigmatic. Here we examined peat and plant chemistry across a latitudinal transect from the Arctic to the tropics. Near-surface low-latitude peat has lower carbohydrate and greater aromatic content than near-surface high-latitude peat, creating a reduced oxidation state and resulting recalcitrance. This recalcitrance allows peat to persist in the (sub)tropics despite warm temperatures. Because we observed similar declines in carbohydrate content with depth in high-latitude peat, our data explain recent field-scale deep peat warming experiments in which catotelm (dee

SUBMITTER: Hodgkins SB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6128871 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature