INDICATORS OF REGENERATION IN AN ABANDONED CUT-OVER SCOTTISH PEATLAND

摘要

While the establishment of vegetation is the essential and clearest indicator of regeneration on cut-over peatland, the reinstatement of those functions unique to peatlands are less well understood. Carbon sequestration depends upon the balance between production and decay. The latter is determined by the composition of the microbial population, which changes in response to the physico-chemical conditions and the input of new plant carbon. The relationship between microbial functioning and typical peatland plant species establishment has been little studied. Ongoing studies at a Scottish site of natural peatland regeneration within the RECIPE program are examining those factors, particularly related to microbial diversity and function, which may be indicators of peatland function.