Importance of the Water Table in Controlling Dissolved Carbon along a Fen Nutrient Gradient

作者:Webster Kara L*; McLaughlin James W
来源:Soil Science Society of America Journal, 2010, 74(6): 2254-2266.
DOI:10.2136/sssaj2009.0111

摘要

Boreal fens are minerotrophic peatlands that act as important control points for dissolved C between upland and aquatic ecosystems. Fens occupy a minerotrophic continuum from "rich," having high water tables and large nutrient contributions from upland sources, to "poor" having low water tables and small nutrient contributions. Dissolved C within these fens will be influenced by the degree of minerotrophy, which in turn impacts peat pore water acidity and alkalinity and downstream productivity. To examine how dissolved C concentrations change along the minerotrophic gradient and to explore possible mechanisms controlling their concentration, pore water chemistry was analyzed from piezometers at 25-, 50-, and 100-cm depths in rich, intermediate, and poor fens during the snow-free periods of 2005, 2006 (dissolved organic C [DOC] only), 2007, and 2008. We found that dissolved inorganic C (DIC) concentrations increased with higher water tables (poor < intermediate < rich) and wetter years (2005 < 2007 ", 2008). In contrast, DOC concentrations decreased with higher water tables (rich < intermediate < poor), but the effect differed among years. Wetter conditions resulted in high DOC concentrations in the intermediate fen, low concentration in the poor fen, and no change in the rich fen. Correlation analyses suggest that DIC concentrations may be linked to groundwater contribution of carbonate materials and DOC to ionic strength and mechanisms of productivity and decomposition. Although further experimentation is required to verify these mechanisms, the evidence points to the importance of minerotrophic status when considering the role of peatlands in watershed C balances and their response to changing climate.

  • 出版日期2010-12