The flux of organic matter through a peatland ecosystem: the role of cellulose, lignin, and their control of the ecosystem oxidation state

Worrall, Fred; Moody, Catherine S.; Clay, Gareth D.; Burt, Tim P.; Rose, Rob. 2017 The flux of organic matter through a peatland ecosystem: the role of cellulose, lignin, and their control of the ecosystem oxidation state. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 122 (7). 1655-1671. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JG003697

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JG003697

Abstract/Summary

This study used thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to study the transit of organic C through a peatland ecosystem. The biomass, litter, peat soil profile, particulate organic matter (POM), and dissolved organic matter (DOM) fluxes were sampled from the Moor House National Nature Reserve, a peat-covered catchment in northern England where both the dry matter and carbon budget for the catchment were known. The study showed that although TGA traces showed distinct differences between organic matter reservoirs and fluxes, the traces could not readily be associated with particular functionalities or elemental properties. The TGA trace shows that polysaccharides are preferentially removed by humification and degradation with residual peat being dominated by lignin compositions. The DOM is derived from the degradation of lignin while the POM is derived from erosion of the peat profile. The carbon lost as gases (CO2 and CH4) was estimated to be composed of 92 to 95% polysaccharide carbon. The composition of the organic matter lost from the peat ecosystem means that the oxidative ratio (OR) of the ecosystem experienced by the atmosphere was between 0.96 and 0.99: currently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change uses an OR value of 1.1 for all ecosystems.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JG003697
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Parr
ISSN:	2169-8953
Additional Keywords:	thermal analysis, NMR, elemental analysis
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment
Date made live:	08 Sep 2017 09:57 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517752

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JG003697

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

Parr

ISSN:

2169-8953

Additional Keywords:

thermal analysis, NMR, elemental analysis

NORA Subject Terms:

Ecology and Environment