Peatlands form important landscape elements in many
parts of the world and play significant roles for
biodiversity and global carbon balance. This new edition
has been fully revised and updated, documenting the
latest advances in areas such as microbial processes and
relations between biological processes and hydrology. As
well as thoroughly referencing the latest research, the
authors expose a rich older literature where an immense
repository of natural history has accumulated.
The Biology of Peatlands starts with an overview
of the main peatland types (marsh, swamp, fen, and bog),
before examining 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 genus
Sphagnum, the most important functional plant group in
northern peatlands, although tropical and southern
hemisphere peatlands are also covered. Throughout the
book the interactions between organisms and
environmental conditions (especially wetness,
availability of oxygen, and pH) are emphasized, with
chapters on the physical and chemical characteristics of
peat, the role of peat as an archive of past vegetation
and climate, and peatland succession and development.
Several other key factors and processes are then
examined, including hydrology and nutrient cycling. The
fascinating peatland landforms in different parts of the
world are described, together with theories on how they
have developed. Human interactions with peatlands are
considered in terms of management, conservation, and
restoration. A final chapter, new to this edition,
focuses on the role of peatlands as sources or sinks for
the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane, and the
influences of climate change on peatlands.
This
timely and accessible text is suitable for students and
researchers of peatland ecology, as well as providing an
authoritative overview for professional ecologists and
conservation biologists.
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