Growing season carbon dioxide exchange of two contrasting peatland ecosystems

The CO2 flux of two peatlands in northern Alberta was examind during the 2004 growing season using eddy covariance measurements of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), chamber measurements of total ecosystem respiration, and empirical models driven by meteorological inputs. The two ecosystems, a poor fen and an extreme-rich fen, differed significantly in plant species composition, leaf area index, aboveground biomass and surface water chemistry. The mean diurnal pattern of NEE at the peak of the season was similar between the sites, however, the extreme-rich fen had a higher photosynthetic and respiratory capacity than the poor fen. Over the 6 month study, the poor fen was shown to accumulate between 2 to 3 times more carbon than the extreme-rich fen despite having a lower photosynthetic capacity. The evergreen nature of the poor fen site allowed for a longer season of net CO2 uptake than the deciduous species that dominated the extreme-rich fen.

Authors

• Glenn, Aaron James
• University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science

• Peatlands -- Effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide on
• Wetlands -- Effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide on
• Atmospheric carbon dioxide -- Environmental aspects
• Carbon cycle (Biogeochemistry) -- Research
• Dissertations, Academic

Identifier

hdl:10133/259

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/259