THE EFFECT OF RESTORATION ON C0₂ EXCHANGE IN A CUTOVER PEATLAND

Abstract

<p>Natural peatlands are important components in the global carbon cycle as they represent a net long-term sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide (C0₂), however, peatland extraction converts these ecosystems to persistent sources of atmospheric C02 following abandonment. Peatland restoration techniques have been developed with the aim to restore cutover peatlands to carbon-accumulating ecosystem. This is accomplished by raising the water table and reintroducing <em>Sphagnum</em> peat-forming species. The goal of this thesis was to examine effect of restoration on peatland-atmosphere C0₂ exchange at a cutover peatland.</p> <p>Peat respiration decreased in the restored site post-restoration, which was partially due to the rewetting. However, the seasonal average peat respiration from both the restored and cut over sites were not significantly different from each other. Subsequently, rates of gross ecosystem production have increased over the same period due to the emerging vegetative cover, with seasonal mean net ecosystem exchange fluxes for both herbaceous and moss vegetation displaying significant improved net C0₂ fixation with time post restoration. Light response curves showing the relationship between gross ecosystem production of C0₂ (GEP) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) indicate that both the apparent quantum efficiency and the maximum GEP (Amax) increased with time post-restoration.</p>