Phosphorus supply affects long-term carbon accumulation in mid-latitude ombrotrophic peatlands

TY - JOUR

T1 - Phosphorus supply affects long-term carbon accumulation in mid-latitude ombrotrophic peatlands

AU - Schillereff, Daniel N.

AU - Chiverrell, Richard C.

AU - Sjöström, Jenny K.

AU - Kylander, Malin E.

AU - Boyle, John F.

AU - Davies, Jessica A.C.

AU - Toberman, Hannah

AU - Tipping, Edward

N1 - Funding Information: We deeply appreciate the thoughtful and constructive reviewers from Enqing Hou and two anonymous reviewers and the editorial guidance of the Handling Editors. We thank the researchers who produced the data and publications that fed into our analysis. This research was funded in part by the UK Natural Environment Research Council Macronutrient Cycles Programme (LTLS project, grants NE/J011533/1 and NE/J011703/1). Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - Ombrotrophic peatlands are a globally important carbon store and depend on atmospheric nutrient deposition to balance ecosystem productivity and microbial decomposition. Human activities have increased atmospheric nutrient fluxes, but the impacts of variability in phosphorus supply on carbon sequestration in ombrotrophic peatlands are unclear. Here, we synthesise phosphorus, nitrogen and carbon stoichiometric data in the surface and deeper layers of mid-latitude Sphagnum-dominated peatlands across Europe, North America and Chile. We find that long-term elevated phosphorus deposition and accumulation strongly correlate with increased organic matter decomposition and lower carbon accumulation in the catotelm. This contrasts with literature that finds short-term increases in phosphorus supply stimulates rapid carbon accumulation, suggesting phosphorus deposition imposes a threshold effect on net ecosystem productivity and carbon burial. We suggest phosphorus supply is an important, but overlooked, factor governing long-term carbon storage in ombrotrophic peatlands, raising the prospect that post-industrial phosphorus deposition may degrade this carbon sink.

AB - Ombrotrophic peatlands are a globally important carbon store and depend on atmospheric nutrient deposition to balance ecosystem productivity and microbial decomposition. Human activities have increased atmospheric nutrient fluxes, but the impacts of variability in phosphorus supply on carbon sequestration in ombrotrophic peatlands are unclear. Here, we synthesise phosphorus, nitrogen and carbon stoichiometric data in the surface and deeper layers of mid-latitude Sphagnum-dominated peatlands across Europe, North America and Chile. We find that long-term elevated phosphorus deposition and accumulation strongly correlate with increased organic matter decomposition and lower carbon accumulation in the catotelm. This contrasts with literature that finds short-term increases in phosphorus supply stimulates rapid carbon accumulation, suggesting phosphorus deposition imposes a threshold effect on net ecosystem productivity and carbon burial. We suggest phosphorus supply is an important, but overlooked, factor governing long-term carbon storage in ombrotrophic peatlands, raising the prospect that post-industrial phosphorus deposition may degrade this carbon sink.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85129709846&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s43247-021-00316-2

DO - 10.1038/s43247-021-00316-2

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85129709846

SN - 2662-4435

VL - 2

JO - Communications Earth and Environment

JF - Communications Earth and Environment

IS - 1

M1 - 241

ER -