Oligotrophic Peat Bog Research Articles

Assessment of the genetic polymorphism of genus Pinus L. the oligotrophic peat bog "Boloto Mshana"

Aim. To evaluate the molecular genetic polymorphism of representatives of the genus Pinus L. on the territory of the "Boloto Mshana" nature reserve, as well as to test the hypothesis about their possible local hybridization Methods. DNA extraction using CTAB and DNeasy Plant Pro Kit, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers for the chloroplast DNA and genes encoding β-tubulin (TBP markers), electrophoresis of DNA in a polyacrylamide gel with silver nitrate staining. Results. DNA profiles of P. mugo, P. sylvestris and probably P. uliginosa (21 samples in total) were analyzed using one chloroplast DNA marker and two DNA markers based on introns of β-tubulin genes (ТВР, сТВР). The intraspecific genetic polymorphism of the species was compared and the probability of the existence of hybrid forms was investigated. Conclusions. The marker based on the 2nd intron of the β-tubulin genes turned out to be the most effective and informative DNA marker for studying representatives of the Pinus L. genus. P. sylvestris showed less genetic polymorphism by the investigated genetic markers, compared to P. mugo and P. uliginosa. Possible hybrid forms (P. mugo ✕ P. sylvestris) or P. uliginosa were also discovered.

Features of the self-restoration of the oil-contaminated peat-bog soil – a field study

The features of self-restoration processes of the oligotrophic peat-bog soil disturbed by crude oil pollution were studied. Soil contamination was carried out in field long-term experience. The key soil self-recovery indicators were: (1) the rate of carbon dioxide emission by the soil, which quantitatively characterizes the mineralization of petroleum hydrocarbons by microorganisms; (2) content of petroleum products. The microorganisms of the studied soil were characterized by low resistance to the toxic effects of oil: during the first three years of the experiment, the respiration of oil-contaminated soils was significantly lower than in pure soil. Restoration of microbial respiration to the control level and its further intensive growth occurred after 4-5 years of the experiment only in soils with low oil doses: 0.3 and 0.6 l m-2. In time, this coincided with the maximum rate of oil decomposition, which indicates the microbial nature of its utilization. The respiration of soil with oil high doses (1.8 and 3.0 l m-2) remained significantly lower than in pure soil throughout the entire experiment. At the same time, the amount of oil products in these samples markedly decreased. Oil degradation in these variants could occur due to the activity of anaerobic bacteria or abiotic processes.

PROPOSAL FOR THE INCLUSION OF TWO ACTIVE RAISED BOGS IN THE ROSCI0116 MOLHAȘURILE CĂPĂȚÂNEI PROTECTED AREA OF COMMUNITY INTEREST

Oligotrophic peat bogs reach the southern boundary of their European distribution area in the Romanian Carpathians. They shelter boreal species considered glacial relicts, surviving from the Würmian III period. Such areas (habitats) conserving relict species have major phytohistorical importance. They provide insights into the history of forest vegetation in the region and past climatic conditions. Based on floristic, phytocoenological and phytogeographical data, we propose to include two active raised bogs, namely “Calul de Piatră” and “Izvorul văii Șoimului” in the ROSCI0116 Molhașurile Căpățânei site of community interest. The inclusion of the two bogs in the ROSCI0116 Molhașurile Căpățânei protected area will increase the peat bog surface in the Apuseni Mountains and will be beneficial for the conservation of the wetland habitats and their typical flora, both very vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic disturbances.

Shallow depositional basins as potential archives of palaeoenvironmental changes in southwestern Greenland over the last 800 years

The Arctic, one of the most sensitive components of the Earth's climate system, experienced pronounced climatic fluctuations during the Late Holocene. In order to obtain a detailed record of past environmental and climatic variability, sedimentary cores from two interconnected infilled depositional basins in the Kobbefjord area, southwestern Greenland, were retrieved and subjected to a multi‐proxy investigation. The absolute chronostratigraphy was established through radiocarbon (14C) and short‐lived radioisotope (210Pb, 137Cs) dating. We also analysed magnetic susceptibility, grain size, X‐ray fluorescence element composition, total content of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur, biogenic silica and diatom assemblages. The palaeoenvironmental reconstruction presented from the upper basin records ~800 years of sedimentation in a former shallow Arctic lake/pond that was modulated by catchment processes and regional hydroclimate. The record is dominated by alternating periods of increased organic and clastic deposition, suggesting warmer/drier and colder/wetter climate, respectively. Comparison of our records with other proxy‐based lacustrine, marine and glacier records and instrumental measurements from Greenland and the North Atlantic reveals common climatic trends, consistent with the inferred North Atlantic Oscillation pattern. Periods at ~800–600, ~320–220 and ~140–30 cal. a BP correspond to the main cold phases. The earliest climatic deterioration coincides with the demise of the nearby Norse Western Settlement. The most recent cold period represents the culmination of the Little Ice Age with the maximum Holocene advances of Greenland glaciers. Ameliorated conditions predominated at ~550–320 and ~220–140 cal. a BP. The evolution of both water bodies is concluded by transition into oligotrophic peat bogs after complete infilling of the basins at ~30 cal. a BP. Despite differences in proxy signals between the coring sites, this study endorses the usefulness of shallow lake/pond sediments from infilled basins for environmental reconstructions, as long as local depositional processes do not mask the external driving factors.

New artificial network model to estimate biological activity of peat humic acids

PurposeThis article focuses on new method to estimate biological activity of peat humic acids (HAs) using artificial neural network (ANN) to process spectroscopic measurements in infrared and visible ranges. Conventional approaches generally rely on biological models and direct detection of chemical substances related to bioactivity. These methods proved to be accurate and reliable, but at the expense of speed and simplicity. Materials and methodsRecently, a conception of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) has been introduced and successfully implemented to predict effects of HAs on toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Our research stems from this conception, but employs multilayer perceptron (MLP) model to improve overall performance. The developed MLP model allowed us to estimate biological activity of the complete vertical peat cores collected from oligotrophic peat bog, located in southern taiga zone of West Siberia (north-eastern spurs of the Great Vasyugan Mire, 56°58′ N 82о36’ E). In total, 42 samples taken from the cores were collected. The protocol included spectroscopy (in infrared and visible ranges) and biological model with peritoneal activated macrophages as a reference method to directly measure biological activity of HAs. Resultsand discussion. Numerical experiments confirmed consistency of the measured and estimated bioactivity, coefficient of determination R2 = 0.97. These experiments also showed that the MLP model significantly outperforms conventional linear multiple regression models, mainly due to essential nonlinearity of structure-activity relationships. ConclusionsOur research demonstrates that biological activity of HAs extracted from peat samples can be estimated using an artificial neural network model trained on infrared and visible spectra.

A Molecular Genetics Study of Silver and Downy Birches in Peatland and Paludified Forest Types in the Center of the East European Plain

Taxonomic status of birches (Betula pendula, B. pubescens or their hybrids) is identified by molecular genetics assay of the ploidy level using SSR-markers in moist and peatland forest types. Studies are performed on experimental forest sites of the Institute of Forest Science in the center of the East European plain. B. pendula × B. pubescens hybrids accounted for 11% of the combined dataset. Thus, the birch hybrids are essential components of natural communities. We demonstrate for the first time that B. pendula is predominant, the hybrids are rare, and B. pubescens occurs sporadically on oligotrophic peat bogs. B. pendula grew in the canopy while B. pubescens and the hybrids grew in second story of moist blueberry pine forests. Identification of birch species using keys for the flora species is proven to be confusing due to the occurrence of different combinations of traits. All genetically identified B. pendula trees had twigs growing upwards, without pendulous traits.

Water–rock interaction within the oligotrophic peat bog (part of the Vasyugan Swamp, Western Siberia)

Geochemical conditions of the formation of various minerals were studied within the oligotrophic pine-shrub and sphagnum peat bog. It was shown that at least two complex barriers function within the peat deposit. These barriers correspond to the changes in the advective and diffusion transfer of substances and promote the immobilization of Fe and a number of other chemical elements. The upper complex geochemical (redox, sulfide and sorption) barrier occurs approximately at the depths of 0.40 to 1.25 m. The lower complex geochemical (alkaline and sorption) and mechanical barriers are located at the bottom part of the peat deposit (the depth of 2.25–2.50 m).

High-throughput sequencing reveals diverse oomycete communities in oligotrophic peat bog micro-habitat

Abstract Oomycete diversity has been generally underestimated, despite their ecological and economic importance. Surveying unexplored natural ecosystems with up-to-date molecular diversity tools can reveal the existence of unsuspected organisms. Here, we have explored the molecular diversity of five microhabitats located in five different oligotrophic peat bogs in the Jura Mountains using a high-throughput sequencing approach (Illumina HiSeq 2500). We found a total of 34 different phylotypes distributed in all major oomycete clades, and comprising sequences affiliated to both well-known phylotypes and members of undescribed, basal clades. Parasitic species, including obligate forms were well-represented, and phylotypes related to highly damaging invasive pathogens (Aphanomyces astaci: X1100 and Saprolegnia parasitica: X1602) were retrieved. Microhabitats differed significantly in their community composition, and many phylotypes were strongly affiliated to free water habitats (pools). Our approach proved effective in screening oomycete diversity in the studied habitat, and could be applied systematically to other environments and other fungal and fungal-like groups.

Heteroptera (Insecta: Hemiptera) of the peat bogs of Belarusian Lakeland

AbstractThe first overview on the Heteroptera of peat bogs of the Belarusian Lakeland is presented. Five natural oligotrophic peat bogs were studied in 2012–2014 by entomological sweep-net. A total of almost 2,612 true bugs were sampled, representing 83 species of 13 families. Ten species (12.11–36.72% of the individuals) were tyrphobiontic or tyrphophilous. The five most abundant species represented 71.39–82.30% of the individuals. The most common species were

The Auchenorrhyncha fauna of peat bogs in the Austrian part of the Bohemian Forest (Insecta, Hemiptera)

The first overview on the Auchenorrhyncha fauna of peat bogs of the Austrian Bohemian Forest is presented. Seven oligotrophic peat bog sites were studied in 2011 by suction sampler (“G-Vac”) and 93 Auchenorrhyncha species (with 7465 adult specimens) were recorded. Eleven species (about 18 % of the individuals) are tyrphobiontic or tyrphophilous. The relative species abundance plot is not very steep; the six most abundant species represent 50 % of the individuals. The most common species is Conomelus anceps (17 % of the individuals). Compared to the whole Austrian Auchenorrhyncha fauna, the fauna of peat bogs comprises distinctly more univoltine species and more species hibernating in nymphal stage. Densities of adult Auchenorrhyncha in peat bogs are low in spring (about 10–60 individuals per m²) and high in July, with up to 180 (±50) individuals per m². Disturbed peat bogs have higher species numbers and higher Auchenorrhyncha densities in total, but lower numbers and densities in peat bog specialists.

Dynamics of methane fluxes from two peat bogs in the Ore Mountains, Czech Republic

Methane fluxes were studied at two high-elevation oligotrophic peat bogs in the Ore Mts., Czech Republic. The Bukova dolina Bog was drained 15 years ago and 2 years ago was partly restored, whereas the Brumiste Bog is an intact peatland. Draining led to a change of vegetation structure, dominated by Molinia caerulea, Carex sp., and forestation by Norway spruce. Methane fluxes were measured monthly from April to November 2011 using a closed chamber. Temperature and presence of Carex were significant controls on methane fluxes. Peat depth, water table and the presence of other plant species had no significant effect on CH<sub>4</sub> emissions. Methane emissions ranged from 9 to 2700 mg/m<sup>2</sup>/day at the degraded and from 3 to 260 mg/m<sup>2</sup>/day at the intact bog. In general, the degraded peat bog emitted three times more methane compared to the intact peat bog, likely due to vegetation changes after long-term artificial draining.

Bacterial diversity in peat bogs of karst depressions

Bacterial diversity in peat bogs of the karst origin was studied with the use of traditional inoculation methods and modern molecular techniques. Representatives of phylogenetic groups of Proteobacteria and Acidibacteria predominated among the domain of Bacteria. Aquaspirillum and Bacillus predominated in the saprotrophic bacterial complex. The amount of actinobacteria in the studied peat samples was higher than that in typical oligotrophic peat bogs.

Two new aero-aquatic species of the hyphomycete genusHelicodendron from Austria

Two new aero-aquatic species of the genusHelicodendron are described and illustrated:H. coniferarum andH. longitubulosum spp. nov. Both belong to the ecological group of the aero-aquatic fungi which inhabit submerged litter in stagnant pools and ditches. The new species are compared with similar species (H. coniferarum withH. fuscum, H. cumbriense, H. multiseptatum andH. pinicola;H. longitubulosum withH. tubulosum andH. longisporum). In addition, ecology and substrates are recorded: WhereasH. coniferarum was isolated from pine litter submerged in oligotrophic peat bog ditches,H. longitubulosum grew on an oak leaf submerged in a eutrophic woodland pond. The presence of microconidia inH. longitubulosum is discussed.

Relationships between Life Histories of Leafhoppers (Auchenorrhyncha - Hemiptera) and Their Host Plants (Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae)

The relationship between life histories of host plants and ecological characteristics of leafhoppers was studied on leafhopper assemblages found on 26 monocotyledonous plant species. The difference in disturbance intensity between various habitats was reflected by differences in the life history syndromes of both plants (ruderal vs competitive and stress-tolerant) and leafhoppers. Leafhoppers on ruderal plants show a «colonization syndrome», having higher dispersal ability, wider host plant ranges, larger geographic distribution, and more generations per year than species on competitive and stress-tolerant plants. This «colonization syndrome» evolved independently at least twice in leafhoppers, i.e., within Delphacidae and Cicadellidae. A gradient in nutrient concentrations, from extremely oligotrophic peatbogs to nutrient-rich littoral zone vegetation, was reflected in the replacement of stress-tolerant by competitive plant species, but this change was not parallelled by any difference in the ecological characteristics of their leafhopper herbivores. There were no differences in host plant range, generation number, wing condition, and geographic range of leafhoppers associated with their specialization to host plants from different families (Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae) as well

Les Limonides des tourbières acides du Massif Central et des groupements végétaux périphériques [Dipt. Tipuloidea

The author studies the Limoniidae communities in three acid peat-bogs in the French Massif Central with the help of three complementary methods : breeding in laboratory of larvae caught in peat blocks ; setting of special emergence traps upon five vegetal groupings and use of sweep nets. Among the 51 species caught in three peat-bogs the author recognizes : foreign species in the peat-boag ecosystem ; their larvae, terrestrial or semiaquatic, develop without peat connexions ; however, the adults enter sometimes deeply in peat-bog ; hygrophilic acidotolerant species, which carry out their larval development in mud and various biotops frequently flooded ; strictly peat-inhabiting species, stenotopic, the larvae of which develop in the more oligotrophic peat-bogs plants communities ; aquatic species developping in large holes digged in moorlands. The author distinguishes finally ubiquist and largely acido-tolerant species which are found in nearly all vegetal association developping in bogs or close to them.