The EU project RECIPE: understanding and managing peatland restoration

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The EU project RECIPE understanding and managing
peatland restoration
Steve Chapman1, André-Jean Francez2, Mika
Yli-Petäys3 and Ed Mitchell4
1Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen, Scotland 2Universit
y of Rennes 1, France 3University of Helsinki,
Finland 4Swiss Federal Institute of Technology,
Lausanne, Switzerland
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(No Transcript)
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Aitoneva, Finland
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Middlemuir, Scotland
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Baupte, France
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Russey, France
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Chaux-dAbel, Switzerland
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RECIPE Reconciling commercial exploitation of
peat with biodiversity in peatland ecosystems

• vegetation
• microbiology
• soil chemistry (see Laggoun-Defargés et al.)
• carbon dynamics
• socio-economics

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Carbon dynamics within a peatland ecosystem
CO2
microbiology
CO2
TOC
CH4
soil chemistry
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Carbon dynamics within a peatland ecosystem
CO2
vegetation
CO2
CO2
microbiology
CO2
TOC
CH4
soil chemistry
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Changes through regeneration
?
Biodiversity
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Regeneration time
early
advanced
bare
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Transition in microbial parameters

• Microbial biomass C and N and turnover

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Changes in microbial parameters over
regeneration time
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Transition in microbial parameters

• Microbial biomass C and N, and turnover
• Fungal diversity

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Shifts in the fungal community as assessed using
canonical variate analysis of binary data from
DGGE band patterns of fungal-specific ITS
markers.
(Artz et al., in prep.)
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Transition in microbial parameters

• Microbial biomass C and N
• Fungal diversity
• Increase in Ascomycetes
• Increase in nematodes
• Decrease in diatoms
• Archea (methanogens) decrease

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Changes through regeneration
Carbon sequestration
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Regeneration time
early
advanced
bare
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Carbon sequestration

• Bare peat C source
• Vegetated surfaces may be source or sink
• Depends also on water table

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Seasonal carbon balance (June-September at
Aitoneva) of three sedge species, Sphagnum mosses
and bare peat surfaces at different water levels.
EV, Eriophorum vaginatum EA, E. angustifolium
CR, Carex rostrata SF, Sphagnum fallax Bare,
bare peat.
NB Benefit of sedges
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Carbon sequestration

• Bare peat C source
• Vegetated surfaces may be source or sink
• Depends also on water table
• Sequestration increases with regeneration stage
  (at Chaux-dAbel)

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Net Ecosystem Exchange estimated at three
regeneration stages at La Chaux-dAbel 22 years
(red), 31 years (green) and 44 years (black)
(Samaritani et al., in prep)
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Carbon sequestration

• Bare peat C source
• Vegetated surfaces may be source or sink
• Depends also on water table
• Sequestration increases with regeneration stage
  (at Chaux-dAbel)
• Future climate may impact outcome

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Net Ecosystem Exchange estimated at three
regeneration stages at La Chaux-dAbel 22 years
(red), 31 years (green) and 44 years (black) and
for various climate change scenarios (temperature
increases and water table depth variations)
(Samaritani et al., in prep)
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Carbon sequestration

• Bare peat C source
• Vegetated surfaces may be source or sink
• Depends also on water table
• Sequestration increases with regeneration stage
  (at Chaux-dAbel)
• Future climate may impact outcome
• Positive sink at 20 years also at Russey (see
  Bortuluzzi and Chapman)

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Conclusions

• Though vegetative cover is a primary aim of
  peatland restoration, recovery of the carbon
  cycle such that such peatlands become a net sink
  may take longer to develop, probably 510 years.
• Microbial processes and biodiversity indicators
  show significant responses to vegetation
  development and have the potential to track the
  progress of peatland recovery following
  commercial exploitation.

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Special thanks to Emanuela Samaritani Rebekka
Artz And to the rest of the RECIPE team
Further information www.macaulay.ac.uk/RECIPE