Warming and elevated CO₂ promote rapid incorporation and degradation of plant-derived organic matter in an ombrotrophic peatland.

ABSTRACT: Rising temperatures have the potential to directly affect carbon cycling in peatlands by enhancing organic matter (OM) decomposition, contributing to the release of CO₂ and CH₄ to the atmosphere. In turn, increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentration may stimulate photosynthesis, potentially increasing plant litter inputs belowground and transferring carbon from the atmosphere into terrestrial ecosystems. Key questions remain about the magnitude and rate of these interacting and opposing environmental change drivers. Here, we assess the incorporation and degradation of plant- and microbe-derived OM in an ombrotrophic peatland after 4 years of whole-ecosystem warming (+0, +2.25, +4.5, +6.75 and +9°C) and two years of elevated CO₂  manipulation (500 ppm

SUBMITTER: Ofiti NOE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9299048 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature