The effect of long-term drying associated with experimental drainage and road construction on vegetation composition and productivity in boreal fens

Abstract

Land-use and climate change are expected to cause drying of vegetation and surface soils in continental boreal peatlands. We examined the effects of multi-decadal drying and drainage on plant community structure and productivity in four fens located in Alberta, Canada. Long-term drying resulted in a two to fourfold increase in total biomass in three of the four fen sites, with a similar large increase in NPP in Treed Fen 1. The treed poor fens consistently had decreased moss cover and productivity with drainage. Across all sites, changes in understory community composition were related to the change in water table position as well as overstory canopy development that occurred post-drainage. Overall, drainage induced a shift toward a drier peatland regime, favoring increased canopy and vascular plant density at the expense of ground-layer mosses or the understory. Within the ground layer communities, drainage favored dry-adapted hummock moss and lichen species over those wet-adapted but dessication-prone species typical of low-lying lawns and hollows. Alteration of fen vegetation due to ecosystem drying will not only influence carbon sequestration but also will increase the vulnerability of peatlands to wildfire, increasing the risk of further ecosystem degradation and possible loss of resilience.