Effects of elevated CO2 on fen peat biogeochemistry

Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration on northern peatland biogeochemistry was studied in a short-term experiment. Eight intact soil cores (11-cm diameter x 40-cm depth) with Juncus and Festuca spp. were collected from a calcareous fen in north Wales. Half of the cores were incubated under 350 ppm CO2 concentration, whilst the other four cores were maintained at 700 ppm CO2. After a 4-month incubation, significantly higher biomass (root + shoot + algal mat) was determined under elevated CO2 conditions. Higher emissions of N2O and CO2 and higher concentration of pore-water DOC (dissolved organic carbon) were also observed under elevated CO2. However, no significant differences were found in CH4 emission or soil enzyme activities (beta -glucosidase, phosphatase, and N-acetylglucosaminidase) in the bulk soil. Overall, the results suggest that elevated CO2 would increase the primary productivity of the fen vegetation, and stimulate N2O and CO2 emissions as a consequence of an enhanced DOC supply from the vegetation to the soil microbes. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.