Harri Vasander

Long-Term Effects of Water Level Drawdown on the Vegetation of Drained Pine Mires in Southern Finland

1. The effect of water level drawdown after drainage of mires for forestry was studied by comparing the vegetation on undrained pine-mire sites with that of sites drained 3-55 years earlier. The plant communities were analysed with respect to the following environmental variables : drainage age, total nutrient contents of surface peat, and tree stand characteristics. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to relate the environmental variables to data on the botanical composition of vegetation. 2. Two main gradients were found in the data. The first ordination axis clearly relates to a gradient in forest vegetation succession and the second axis to a gradient in peat nutrient level and pH. 3. The secondary succession towards forest vegetation started soon after drainage and proceeded most rapidly in the most nutrient-rich site types. This led to a more uniform vegetation composition between the site types. 4. Original mire species reacted differently to the changing post-drainage environment. Tall sedges (Carex lasiocarpa, C. rostrata) disappeared soon after drainage. The coverages of the mire dwarf shrubs gradually decreased with increasing tree stand volumes ; Betula nana appears to have been the most sensitive species. The coverages of the Sphagna studied appear to have decreased in response to increasing tree stand shading in the order : S. fuscum > S. recurvum complex > S. magellanicum > S. russowii. 5. The development towards forest vegetation on mires may diminish the regional (gamma-) diversity on forest-dominated landscapes, even if the species (alpha-) diversity on individual sites is little affected. 6. Long-term vegetation changes after artificial water level drawdown, emphasized in this study, can be used to mimic the effects of the predicted global climatic warming on mire vegetation.

Restored cut-away peatland as a sink for atmospheric CO2

Abstract In a field study, we examined the relationship between vegetation, abiotic factors and the CO2 exchange dynamics of a cut-away peatland 20 years after production had ended. The main objective was to determine the effect of rewetting on the CO2 exchange dynamics, measured separately in Eriophorum vaginatum tussocks and intertussocks (almost non-vegetated surfaces) using closed-chamber techniques, one growing season before and three growing seasons after the rewetting treatment. Rewetting lowered total respiration (RTOT) and increased gross photosynthesis (PG), which resulted in a higher incorporation of CO2 into the system. The seasonal CO2 balance for the almost continuously submerged section of the rewetted site became positive 2 years after rewetting (9.1 g CO2-C m−2), and it was still higher in the 3rd year (64.5 g CO2-C m−2), i.e. the system accumulated carbon. In the driest section of the rewetted site the seasonal balance increased strongly, but the balance was still negative during the 3 years following rewetting with losses from the system of 44.1, 26.1, 38.3 g CO2-C m−2 in 1995, 1996 and 1997 respectively. At the control site seasonal balance during 1995–1997 varied between ecosystem C losses of 41.8 and 95.3 in an area with high Eriophorum cover and between 52.1 and 109.9 g CO2-C m−2 with lower cover. Simulation of a cut-away peatland with dense Eriophorum vegetation (Eriophorum cover 70%) showed that if the water level (WT) is low, the seasonal CO2 balance of the ecosystem can reach the compensation point of no net C change (PG = RTOT) only if weather conditions are favourable, but with a high WT the seasonal CO2 balance would be positive even under varying weather conditions. It can be concluded that with dense Eriophorum vegetation a restored cut-away peatland acts as a functional mire and becomes a sink for atmospheric CO2.

Status and restoration of peatlands in northern Europe

Environmental management of peatlands,landscape ecology and protection of keybiotopes have created needs and pressure torestore drained peatlands to natural mireecosystems. Here, we summarize differentapproaches and restoration techniquesdeveloped for peatland management inEstonia, Sweden, and Finland wherepeatlands are abundant. Without rewetting,plant colonisation on abandoned cut-awayareas is slow due to harsh hydrological andmicroclimatic conditions. However, after restoration, cut-away peatlands may returnto a functional state close to that ofpristine mires, and therefore restore a netcarbon sink function within a few years. Inaddition, restoration techniques can helpto create buffer zones between terrestrialand limnic ecosystems that reduces thenutrient loading imposed on watercourses byforestry operations. Restoration may alsobe important for peatland conservationprograms as drained peatlands are part ofpresent and future conservation areas.Finally, restoration actions in themselvescan have negative environmental impacts.For instance, inundation of peat surfacesresulting from the rewetting process oftenincreases phosphorus leaching. Efforts onpeatland restoration should focus onenvironmental monitoring, research onrestoration and its environmental impact aswell as public relations activities. Inthat respect, knowledge transfer betweenacademics and managers should generatesynergy benefits.

Ecology of testaceans (Protozoa: Rhizopoda) in mires in southern Finland. I: Autecology

Summary The distribution of 38 testacean species (Protozoa: Rhizopoda) and a rotifer, Habrotrocha angusticollis (Rotifera: Bdelloidea) were analyzed by range and weighted average ordination techniques of seven chemical and four physical variables from 90 microsites in virgin mires in southern Finland. Both living and dead individuals were counted and the absolute numbers of individuals per unit area were determined. The absolute numbers varied from 13 to 2300 individuals/cm 3 . All species or species groups but one, Lesquereusia spiralis , a species of nutrient-rich fen microsites, were found to occur in ombrotrophic sites. Only three species ( Arcella discoides, Bullinula indica , and Heleopera sylvatica ) were not found in eutrophic sites, whereas the remaining taxa were widely distributed across the ecological gradient from ombrotrophic to eutrophic microsites. Three-species, Amphitrema wrightianum, Arcella discoides , and Hyalosphenia elegans were found to be in very low numbers in Sphagnum . All other testacean species were found to be well represented in both Sphagnum and Bryales mosses.

Post-drainage changes in vegetation composition and carbon balance in Lakkasuo mire, Central Finland

The post-drainage changes in vegetation composition and carbon balance were studied on four site types (from minero- to ombrotrophic conditions) in Lakkasuo mire, central Finland, by directly comparing undrained and drained parts (30 years ago) of the mire. Drainage had drastically changed the species composition of the sites, especially at the minerotrophic sites, where almost all Sphagna had been replaced by forest mosses. On the ombrotrophic sites much of the mire vegetation still remained 30 years after drainage. Drainage had decreased the C stores in ground vegetation on the minerotrophic sites but increased them on the ombrotrophic sites. The changes were, however, very small compared to the changes in the tree stand, where the C stores had increased at all sites (increasing with nutrient level). The change in peat C balance over the 30-year post-drainage period was negative on the most nutrient-rich site, and positive on the others, increasing with lower nutrient levels. The decrease in the peat C balance on the most nutrient-rich site was compensated by the greater increase in the tree stand C stores and the changes in the total C balance (peat+tree stand+ground vegetation) remained positive on all sites.

CARBON DIOXIDE AND METHANE FLUXES IN DRAINED TROPICAL PEAT BEFORE AND AFTER HYDROLOGICAL RESTORATION

Present tropical peat deposits are the outcome of net carbon removal from the atmosphere and form one of the largest terrestrial organic carbon stores on the Earth. Reclamation of pristine tropical peatland areas in Southeast Asia increased strikingly during the last half of the 20th century. Drainage due to land-use change is one of the main driving factors accelerating carbon loss from the ecosystem. Dams were built in drainage-affected peatland area canals in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, in order to evaluate major patterns in gaseous carbon dioxide and methane fluxes and in peat hydrology immediately before and after hydrologic restoration. The sites included peat swamp forest and deforested burned area, both affected by drainage for nearly 10 years. Higher annual minimum soil water table levels prevailed on both sites after restoration; the deforested site water table level prevailed considerably longer near the peat surface, and the forest water table level remained for a longer period in the topmost 30 cm peat profile after restoration. Forest soil gas fluxes were clearly higher in comparison to the deforested area. Cumulative forest floor CO2 emissions (7305-7444 g x m(-2) x yr(-1); 166.0-169.2 mol CO2 x m(-2) x yr(-1)) and the deforested site CO2 emissions (2781-2608 g x m(-2) x yr(-1); 63.2-59.3 mol CO2 x m(-2) x yr(-1)) did not markedly reflect the notably differing hydrological conditions the year before and after restoration. The forest floor was a weak CH4 sink (-0.208 to -0.368 g x m(-2) x yr(-1); -13.0 to -22.9 mmol CH4 x m(-2) x yr(-1)) and the deforested site a comparable CH4 source (0.197-0.275 g x m(-2) x yr(-1); 12.3-17.1 mmol CH4 x m(-2) x yr(-1)) in the study period. In general, higher soil water table levels had a relatively small effect on the annual CH4 emission budgets. In the two site types the gas flux response into hydrological conditions in degraded tropical peat can be attributed to differing CO2 and CH4 dynamics, peat physical characteristics, and vegetation.

Exploitation of northern peatlands and biodiversity maintenance: a conflict between economy and ecology.

Peatlands are ecosystems of exceptional conservation value because of their beauty, biodiversity, importance in global geochemical cycles, and the paleoenvironmental records they preserve. Commercial extraction and drainage for forestry or agriculture have caused the destruction of many peatlands, especially in or close to urban areas of the northern temperate zone. Are these commercial and environmental interests irreconcilable? A close analysis suggests that limited peat extraction may actually increase biodiversity in some cases, and may be sustainable over the long term. As we learn more about how peatlands spontaneously regenerate following disturbance, and what conditions govern the re-establishment of a diverse community and the ability to sequester carbon, we increase our chances of being able to restore damaged peatlands. Preserving the chronological records hidden in the peat profile, the natural heritage value of peatlands, and the bulk of sequestered carbon, however, will remain incompatible with any form of exploitation.

Minor changes in vegetation and carbon gas balance in a boreal mire under a raised CO2 or NH4NO3 supply

AbstractIncreasing concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere or continuous nitrogen (N) deposition might alter the carbon (C) cycle in boreal mires and thus have significant impacts on the development of climate change. The atmospheric impact of the C cycle in mires is twofold: C accumulation attenuates and CH4 release strengthens the natural greenhouse effect. We studied the effects of an increased supply of CO2 or NH4NO3 on the vegetation and annual CO2 exchange in lawns of a boreal oligotrophic mire in eastern Finland over a 2-year period. Ten study plots were enclosed with mini-FACE (Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) rings. Five plots were vented with CO2-enriched air (target 560 ppmv), while their controls were vented with ambient air; five plots were sprayed with NH4NO3, corresponding to a cumulative addition of 3 g N m−2 a−1, while their controls were sprayed with distilled water only. A raised NH4NO3 supply seemed to affect the composition of the moss layer. Raised CO2 did not affect the vegetation, but gross photosynthesis increased significantly. The change in net CO2 exchange depended on the annual weather conditions. Our results suggest that C accumulation may increase in wet years and compensate for the warming effect caused by the increase in CH4 release from this mire. In contrast, a relatively dry and warm growing period favors decomposition and can even make the CO2 balance negative. Along with the increased CH4 release under raised CO2, the decreased C accumulation then increases the radiative forcing of boreal mires.

Effect of experimental nitrogen load on methane and nitrous oxide fluxes on ombrotrophic boreal peatland

Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) dynamics were studied in a boreal Sphagnum fuscum pine bog receiving annually (from 1991 to 1996) 30 or 100 kg NH4NO3-N ha−1. The gas emissions were measured during the last three growing seasons of the experiment. Nitrogen treatment did not affect the CH4 fluxes in the microsites where S. fuscum and S. angustifolium dominated. However, addition of 100 kg NH4NO3-N ha−1 yr−1 increased the CH4 emission from those microsites dominated by S. fuscum. This increase was associated with the increase in coverage of cotton grass (Eriophorum vaginatum) induced by the nitrogen treatment. The differences in the CH4 emissions were not related to the CH4 oxidation and production potentials in the peat profiles. The N2O fluxes were negligible from all microsites. Only minor short-term increases occurred after the nitrogen addition.

Impact of rewetting on the vegetation of a cut‐away peatland

We tested whether rewetting improved environ- mental conditions during peatland restoration and promoted colonization and development of mire vegetation. Vegetation change was monitored in a cut-away peatland one year before, and four years after, rewetting. Colonizers before rewetting were perennials, mostly typical of hummocks or bare peat surfaces. The main variation in vegetation was related to variation in the amounts of major nutrients and water table level. The wettest site with the highest nutrient level had the highest total vegetation cover and diversity, as well as some species typical of wet minerotrophic mires. Raising the water table level above, or close to, the soil surface promoted devel- opment of wet minerotrophic vegetation. Diversity initially decreased because of the disappearance of hummock vegeta- tion but started to recover in the third year. Eriophorum vaginatum and Carex rostrata were both favoured, and bryophytes typical of wet habitats colonized the site. Moder- ate rewetting promoted the development of Eriophorum vaginatum seedlings and an increase in the cover of tussocks. Bryophytes typical of disturbed peat surfaces spread. In the control site development continued slowly towards closed hummock vegetation. The study showed that raising the water level to, or above, soil surface promotes conditions wet enough for a rapid succession towards closed mire vegetation.