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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Decomposition Dynamics Under Climate Change Conditions In Boreal Peat, Rosa Del Giudice
Decomposition Dynamics Under Climate Change Conditions In Boreal Peat, Rosa Del Giudice
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Boreal peatlands currently act as carbon sinks, but are projected to become carbon sources under climate change. Shifts in plant community composition alongside increased decomposition rates are potential mechanisms precipitating this change. My objective was to determine the decomposition potential of different peatland plant litters (Sphagnum magellanicum (peat moss), Carex magellanica (graminoid) and Chamaedaphne calyculata (woody shrub)) during short-term (48 hour) leaching and microbial decomposition (20 week) phases. The 48-hour leaching experiment measured mass loss and leachate chemistry of litters grown under ambient and elevated CO2, while the 20-week experiment measured heterotrophic respiration and mass loss of …
Ecosystem Level Effects Of Climate Change On Northern Peatlands, Catherine M. Dieleman
Ecosystem Level Effects Of Climate Change On Northern Peatlands, Catherine M. Dieleman
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Northern peatlands are the world’s most efficient terrestrial ecosystems at storing carbon. The effects of global climate change are expected to be intensified in high latitude regions of the northern hemisphere, where peatlands are a dominant landscape feature. Accordingly, there is concern that climate change will change peatlands from carbon sinks into carbon sources. In order to better understand the impacts of climate change on peatland ecosystems, the research presented in this dissertation focuses on several mesocosm experiments conducted to develop a better understanding of the interactive effects of three key climate change stressors (increased atmospheric CO2, increased …