E-Book Overview
The Biology of Peatlands provides a comprehensive overview of peatland ecosystems. Coverage is international although there is a focus on boreal and north temperate peatlands. As a well as thoroughly referencing the latest research, the authors expose a rich older literature where an immense repository of natural history has accumulated.The book begins with an overview of the main peatland types (marsh, swamp, fen and bog), which provides the basis for a deeper understanding of the subject. Chapters then follow on the diversity of the entire range of biota present (microbes, invertebrates, plants, and vertebrates), together with their specific adaptations to peatland habitats. Detailed coverage is devoted to the moss genus Sphagnum, one of the most important functional plant groups in northern peatlands. Throughout the book, the interactions between organisms and environmental conditions (especially wetness, availability of oxygen, and pH) are stressed. In the study of peatland biology, it is essential to learn about peat itself and how its accumulation reflects the history and development of peatland over centrueies and millennia. The book therefore contains chapters on the physical and chemical characteristics of peat, the role of peat as an archive of past vegetation and climate, and peatland successiona dn development. Several other key factors and precesses are then examined including hydrology, nutrient cycling, light, and temperature. The authors describe the intriguing patterns and landforms characteristic of peatlands in different parts of the world, together with theories on how they have developed. The role of peatlands as sources or sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane, and their influence on climatic change, is also outlined. A final chapter considers peatland management, conservation and restoration issues.This accessible text is suitable for students and researchers of peatlands as well as the professional ecologists and conservation biologists requiring a concise, authoritative and up-to-date overview of the topic.
E-Book Content
The Biology of Peatlands
THE BIOLOGY OF HABITATS SERIES This attractive series of concise, affordable texts provides an integrated overview of the design, physiology, and ecology of the biota in a given habitat, set in the context of the physical environment. Each book describes practical aspects of working within the habitat, detailing the sorts of studies which are possible. Management and conservation issues are also included. The series is intended for naturalists, students studying biological or environmental science, those beginning independent research, and professional biologists embarking on research in a new habitat.
The Biology of Rocky Shores Colin Little and F. A. Kitching The Biology of Polar Habitats G. E. Fogg The Biology of Lakes and Ponds Christer Brönmark and Lars-Anders Hansson The Biology of Streams and Rivers Paul S. Giller and Bjorn Malmqvist The Biology of Mangroves Peter F. Hogarth The Biology of Soft Shores and Estuaries Colin Little The Biology of the Deep Ocean Peter Herring The Biology of Lakes and Ponds, Second ed. Christer Brönmark and Lars-Anders Hansson The Biology of Soil Richard D. Bardgett The Biology of Freshwater Wetlands Arnold G. van der Valk The Biology of Peatlands Håkan Rydin and John K. Jeglum
The Biology of Peatlands Håkan Rydin Department of Plant Ecology, Uppsala University and
John K. Jeglum Department of Forest Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences with contributions from Aljosja Hooijer, Beverley R. Clarkson, Bruce D. Clarkson, Dmitri Mauquoy, and Keith D. Bennett
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