Emerging forest–peatland bistability and resilience of European peatland carbon stores

Ype van der Velde, Arnaud J. A. M. Temme, Jelmer J. Nijp, Maarten C. Braakhekke, George A. K. van Voorn, Stefan C. Dekker, A. Johannes Dolman, Jakob Wallinga, Kevin J. Devito, Nicholas Kettridge, Carl A. Mendoza, Lammert Kooistra, Merel B. Soons, Adriaan J. Teuling

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences9/14/2021·DOI·Read paper

Abstract

Significance Peatlands are sensitive ecosystems that store carbon and water and support biodiversity. Currently, European peatlands are threatened by climate change and exploitation. In this study, we show that many landscape settings may support both wetland ecosystems on thick peat soils and forest ecosystems on thin organic soils. Both ecosystems have distinctly different water–carbon dynamics that create internal positive feedbacks, allowing both ecosystems to coexist (bistability) but also to shift when critical limits are exceeded. With this new landscape perspective, we find that currently, 20% of European raised bogs are threatened by climate change and drainage. This study demonstrates that a landscape perspective including interactions between peatlands, forests, and rivers is essential to understand and steer the future of peatlands.

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