Baird, AJ orcid.org/0000-0001-8198-3229, Milner, AM, Blundell, A et al. (2 more authors) (2016) Microform-scale variations in peatland permeability and their ecohydrological implications. Journal of Ecology, 104 (2). pp. 531-544. ISSN 0022-0477
Abstract
1. The acrotelm-catotelm model of peatland hydrological and biogeochemical processes posits that the permeability of raised bogs is largely homogenous laterally but varies strongly with depth
through the soil profile; uppermost peat layers are highly permeable while deeper layers are, effectively, impermeable.
2. We measured down-core changes in peat permeability, plant macrofossil assemblages, dry bulk density and degree of humification beneath two types of characteristic peatland microform – ridges
and hollows – at a raised bog in Wales. Six 1424 C dates were also collected for one hollow and an adjacent ridge. 3. Contrary to the acrotelm-catotelm model, we found that deeper peat can be as highly permeable as near-surface peat and that its permeability can vary by more than an order of magnitude between microforms over horizontal distances of 1-5 metres. 4. Our palaeo-ecological data paint a complicated picture of microform persistence. Some microforms can remain in the same position on a bog for millennia, growing vertically upwards as the bog grows. However, adjacent areas on the bog (< 10 m distant) show switches between microform type over time, indicating a lack of persistence. 5. Synthesis. We suggest that the acrotelm-catotelm model should be used cautiously; spatial variations in peatland permeability do not fit the simple patterns suggested by the model. To understand how peatlands as a whole function both hydrologically and ecologically it is necessary to understand how patterns of peat physical properties and peatland vegetation develop and persist.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Ecology © 2015 British Ecological Society. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Baird, A. J., Milner, A. M., Blundell, A., Swindles, G. T., Morris, P. J. (2016), Microform-scale variations in peatland permeability and their ecohydrological implications. Journal of Ecology, 104: 531–544. doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12530, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12530. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. |
Keywords: | acrotelm-catotelm model, ecological memory, microform, peatland, permeability, persistence, plant–soil (below-ground) interactions, raised bog. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > River Basin Processes & Management (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > Ecology & Global Change (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 23 Dec 2015 11:05 |
Last Modified: | 09 Apr 2019 13:51 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12530 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/1365-2745.12530 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:92977 |