%0 Research Notes
%T Growth of Sphagnum fuscum bog on the basis of gas exchange measurements
%A Silvola, Jouko
%D 1980
%J Suo - Mires and peat
%V 31
%N 1
%U http://suo.fi/article/9504
%X The CO2-exchange of the Sphagnum fuscum — Empetrum nigrum community of a South Finnish raised bog was studied in the laboratory at different combinations of irradiance and temperature conditions during one growing season. The CO2-exchange of the community was divided into three components, namely those due to Empetrum nigrum, Sphagnum fuscum and peat, respectively. In the conditions used the maximum net CO2 exchange of Empetrum nigrum was c. 200 and that of Sphagnum fuscum c. 250 mg CO2 m-1 h-1. The total respiration in peat increased exponentially from 50 to 350 mg CO2 m-2 h-1 with increasing temperature from 5 to 30°C.
On the basis of the laboratory measurements and of the data on actual field temperatures and irradiation the budget of organic matter for the community was simulated. The net production of 74 for Empetrum and 243 g (dw) m-2 for Sphagnum was predicted for six months period (May 1—Oct 31). The amount of peat decomposed was 233 (g (dw) m-2. The net result for the whole community was 84 g (dw) m-2. The average peat accumulation of the bog in question is c. 40 g (dw) m-2 yr-1. The difference depends most probably on the respiration in winter and on the decomposition of peat deeper than 17 cm, which were not included in simulation.