Partitioning of the net CO2 exchange using an automated chamber system reveals plant phenology as key control of production and respiration fluxes in a boreal peatland.

The net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) drives the carbon (C) sink-source strength of northern peatlands. Since NEE represents a balance between various production and respiration fluxes, accurate predictions of its response to global changes require an in depth understanding of these underlying processes. Currently, however, detailed information of the temporal dynamics as well as the separate biotic and abiotic controls of the NEE component fluxes is lacking in peatland ecosystems. In this study, we address this knowledge gap by using an automated chamber system established across natural and trenching/vegetation removal plots to partition NEE into its production (i.e., gross and net primary production; GPP and NPP) and respiration (i.e., ecosystem, heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration; ER, Rh and Ra) fluxes in a boreal peatland in northern Sweden. Our results showed that daily NEE patterns were driven by GPP while variations in ER were governed by Ra rather than Rh. Moreover, we observed pronounced seasonal shifts in the Ra/Rh and above/belowground NPP ratios throughout the main phenological phases. Generalized linear model analysis revealed that the greenness index derived from digital images (as a proxy for plant phenology) was the strongest control of NEE, GPP and NPP while explaining considerable fractions also in the variations of ER and Ra. In addition, our data exposed greater temperature sensitivity of NPP compared to Rh resulting in enhanced C sequestration with increasing temperature. Overall, our study suggests that the temporal patterns in NEE and its component fluxes are tightly coupled to vegetation dynamics in boreal peatlands and thus challenges previous studies that commonly identify abiotic factors as key drivers. These findings further emphasize the need for integrating detailed information on plant phenology into process-based models to improve predictions of global change impacts on the peatland C cycle.

Peatland vegetation composition and phenology drive the seasonal trajectory of maximum gross primary production.

Gross primary production (GPP) is a key driver of the peatland carbon cycle. Although many studies have explored the apparent GPP under natural light conditions, knowledge of the maximum GPP at light-saturation (GPPmax) and its spatio-temporal variation is limited. This information, however, is crucial since GPPmax essentially constrains the upper boundary for apparent GPP. Using chamber measurements combined with an external light source across experimental plots where vegetation composition was altered through long-term (20-year) nitrogen addition and artificial warming, we could quantify GPPmax in-situ and disentangle its biotic and abiotic controls in a boreal peatland. We found large spatial and temporal variations in the magnitudes of GPPmax which were related to vegetation species composition and phenology rather than abiotic factors. Specifically, we identified vegetation phenology as the main driver of the seasonal GPPmax trajectory. Abiotic anomalies (i.e. in air temperature and water table level), however, caused species-specific divergence between the trajectories of GPPmax and plant development. Our study demonstrates that photosynthetically active biomass constrains the potential peatland photosynthesis while abiotic factors act as secondary modifiers. This further calls for a better representation of species-specific vegetation phenology in process-based peatland models to improve predictions of global change impacts on the peatland carbon cycle.

Hydrology-driven ecosystem respiration determines the carbon balance of a boreal peatland.

The carbon (C) balance of boreal peatlands is mainly the sum of three different C fluxes: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Intra- and inter-annual dynamics of these fluxes are differentially controlled by similar factors, such as temperature and water-table. Different climatic conditions within and between years might thus result in varying absolute and relative contributions of each flux to net ecosystem productivity (NEP). In this study CO2 fluxes were measured at a boreal peatland in eastern Finland during a dry year (2006) and a wet year (2007) and combined with DOC and CH4 fluxes from the same site. CO2 uptake in the wet year was 65% higher than in the dry year, caused by higher water table (WT) and subsequently reduced rates of soil respiration. Two to three-fold increases in DOC and CH4 fluxes in the wet year did not completely offset the higher CO2 uptake in that year, resulting in NEP of -83.7±14 g C m(-2) in the dry and -134.5±21 g C m(-2) in the wet year. Thus, in our study, WT was identified as the most important factor responsible for variations in the C balance between the observed years.