title: Warming effects on greenhouse gas fluxes in peatlands are modulated by vegetation composition.
abstract: Understanding the effects of warming on greenhouse gas feedbacks to climate change represents a major global challenge. Most research has focused on direct effects of warming, without considering how concurrent changes in plant communities may alter such effects. Here, we combined vegetation manipulations with warming to investigate their interactive effects on greenhouse gas emissions from peatland. We found that although warming consistently increased respiration, the effect on net ecosystem CO2 exchange depended on vegetation composition. The greatest increase in CO2 sink strength after warming was when shrubs were present, and the greatest decrease when graminoids were present. CH4 was more strongly controlled by vegetation composition than by warming, with largest emissions from graminoid communities. Our results show that plant community composition is a significant modulator of greenhouse gas emissions and their response to warming, and suggest that vegetation change could alter peatland carbon sink strength under future climate change.
authors: Soil and Ecosystem Ecology Laboratory, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK; Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK.
authors: Susan E
authors: SE
authors: Ward
authors: Nicholas J
authors: NJ
authors: Ostle
authors: Simon
authors: S
authors: Oakley
authors: Helen
authors: H
authors: Quirk
authors: Peter A
authors: PA
authors: Henrys
authors: Richard D
authors: RD
authors: Bardgett
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D057965:Carbon Sequestration; D057232:Global Warming; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism; D012987:Soil
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D008697:Methane
keywords: CH
  4; CO
  2; Carbon cycle; N2O; greenhouse gas; peatland; plant community composition; plant functional group; warming