{"type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [{"id": "10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.005", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:16:47Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2017-10-16", "title": "Recovery of methane turnover and the associated microbial communities in restored cutover peatlands is strongly linked with increasing Sphagnum abundance", "description": "Abstract Vegetation succession is known to affect carbon-cycling patterns of recovering cutover peatlands, displayed as shifts in emissions of the greenhouse gases CO2 and CH4. However, the related plant-microbe interactions are still poorly understood. We aimed to link the recovery of the organisms responsible for CH4 turnover, the methanogens and the methanotrophs, to the re-vegetation related compositional changes of three functional plant types (Sphagna, sedges and shrubs). In peat layers, the Sphagnum coverage was the most influential factor for the activity, abundance and community structures of both these microbial groups, demonstrating a succession pattern towards a pristine stage. Analysis of mcrA and pmoA genes revealed Methanoregulaceae and Methylocystis as the most dominant methanogens and methanotrophs, respectively. The relatively fast recovery of both CH4 production and oxidation in the peat layers supports earlier flux based results from these same fen-type peatland sites. In contrast to peat, CH4 oxidation in living Sphagnum mosses appeared to be independent of vegetation succession as CH4 oxidation potential was similar throughout the succession stages. This indicated that Sphagnum may be a valuable CH4 biofilter especially in the early re-vegetation stages when the oxidation in the peat has not yet recovered. Therefore, we recommend Sphagnum transplantation as a tool for climate friendly peatland restoration with faster recovery of the carbon sink function and altered CH4 emissions.", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "570", "0303 health sciences", "Aitoneva", "peat extraction", "ta1172", "ta1183", "Methanogenic archaea", "plant functional types", "15. Life on land", "Methanotrophic bacteria", "ecosystem restoration", "ekosysteemit", "Kihni\u00f6", "03 medical and health sciences", "13. Climate action", "616", "ta1181", "ennallistaminen", "turvemaat", "Finland"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.005"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Soil%20Biology%20and%20Biochemistry", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.005", "name": "item", "description": "10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.005", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.10.005"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1029/2020wr028624", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:17:12Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-06-21", "title": "Hydraulic and Physical Properties of Managed and Intact Peatlands: Application of the Van Genuchten\u2010Mualem Models to Peat Soils", "description": "Abstract

Undisturbed peatlands are effective carbon sinks and provide a variety of ecosystem services. However, anthropogenic disturbances, especially land drainage, strongly alter peat soil properties and jeopardize the benefits of peatlands. The effects of disturbances should therefore be assessed and predicted. To support accurate modeling, this study determined the physical and hydraulic properties of intact and disturbed peat samples collected from 59 sites (in total 3,073 samples) in Finland and Norway. The bulk density (BD), porosity, and specific yield (Sy) values obtained indicated that the top layer (0\uffe2\uff80\uff9330\uffc2\uffa0cm depth) at agricultural and peat extraction sites was most affected by land use change. The BD in the top layer at agricultural, peat extraction, and forestry sites was 441%, 140%, and 92% higher, respectively, than that of intact peatlands. Porosity decreased with increased BD, but not linearly. Agricultural and peat extraction sites had the lowest saturated hydraulic conductivity, Sy, and porosity, and the highest BD of the land use options studied. The van Genuchten\uffe2\uff80\uff90Mualem (vGM) soil water retention curve (SWRC) and hydraulic conductivity (K) models proved to be applicable for the peat soils tested, providing values of SWRC, K, and vGM\uffe2\uff80\uff90parameters (\uffce\uffb1 and n) for peat layers (top, middle and bottom) under different land uses. A decrease in peat soil water content of \uffe2\uff89\uffa510% reduced the unsaturated K values by two orders of magnitude. This unique data set can be used to improve hydrological modeling in peat\uffe2\uff80\uff90dominated catchments and for fuller integration of peat soils into large\uffe2\uff80\uff90scale hydrological models. Ombrotrophic peatlands are a recognized global carbon reservoir. Without restoration and peat regrowth, harvested peatlands are dramatically altered, impairing their carbon sink function, with consequences for methane turnover. Previous studies determined the impact of commercial mining on the physicochemical properties of peat and the effects on methane turnover. However, the response of the underlying microbial communities catalyzing methane production and oxidation have so far received little attention. We hypothesize that with the return of Sphagnum spp. postharvest, methane turnover potential and the corresponding microbial communities will converge in a natural and restored peatland. To address our hypothesis, we determined the potential methane production and oxidation rates in natural (as a reference), actively mined, abandoned, and restored peatlands over two consecutive years. In all sites, the methanogenic and methanotrophic population sizes were enumerated using quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays targeting the mcrA and pmoA genes, respectively. Shifts in the community composition were determined using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the mcrA gene and a pmoA -based terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (t-RFLP) analysis, complemented by cloning and sequence analysis of the mmoX gene. Peat mining adversely affected methane turnover potential, but the rates recovered in the restored site. The recovery in potential activity was reflected in the methanogenic and methanotrophic abundances. However, the microbial community composition was altered, being more pronounced for the methanotrophs. Overall, we observed a lag between the recovery of the methanogenic/methanotrophic activity and the return of the corresponding microbial communities, suggesting that a longer duration (>15 years) is needed to reverse mining-induced effects on the methane-cycling microbial communities.

IMPORTANCE Ombrotrophic peatlands are a crucial carbon sink, but this environment is also a source of methane, an important greenhouse gas. Methane emission in peatlands is regulated by methane production and oxidation catalyzed by methanogens and methanotrophs, respectively. Methane-cycling microbial communities have been documented in natural peatlands. However, less is known of their response to peat mining and of the recovery of the community after restoration. Mining exerts an adverse impact on potential methane production and oxidation rates and on methanogenic and methanotrophic population abundances. Peat mining also induced a shift in the methane-cycling microbial community composition. Nevertheless, with the return of Sphagnum spp. in the restored site after 15 years, methanogenic and methanotrophic activity and population abundance recovered well. The recovery, however, was not fully reflected in the community composition, suggesting that >15 years are needed to reverse mining-induced effects.

", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "570", "oxidation", "hiili", "ta1172", "Euryarchaeota", "630", "Mining", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Sphagnum", "Bacterial Proteins", "Nitrogen Fixation", "Sphagnopsida", "14. Life underwater", "ennallistaminen", "turvemaat", "Ecosystem", "Phylogeny", "Soil Microbiology", "0303 health sciences", "nifH", "methane", "Microbiota", "ta1182", "land use", "methanogenesis", "15. Life on land", "Carbon", "kasvihuonekaasup\u00e4\u00e4st\u00f6t", "nitrogen fixation", "13. Climate action", "international", "Wetlands", "Oxygenases", "ta1181", "Methane", "Oxidation-Reduction"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/AEM.02218-17"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02218-17"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20and%20Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1128/aem.02218-17", "name": "item", "description": "10.1128/aem.02218-17", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1128/aem.02218-17"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-02-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.14214/sf.503", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:18:38Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2014-09-30", "title": "Effects Of Wood, Peat And Coal Ash Fertilization On Scots Pine Foliar Nutrient Concentrations And Growth On Afforested Former Agricultural Peat Soils", "description": "The effects of ash and commercial fertilizers on the foliar nutrient concentrations and stand growth of Scots pine were studied in four field experiments established on former cultivated peat soils. The aims were to compare ash types (wood, peat and coal ash), study the effects of ash treatment (pelletization), compare ash fertilization with commercial fertilizers, and to study the interaction between ash fertilization and weed control. Foliar samples were collected 1\u00e2\u0080\u00933 years and 7\u00e2\u0080\u00938 years after fertilization. In the unfertilized plots, the foliar nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were fairly high, while those of potassium were low in all the experiments. The boron levels were low in three out of the four experiments. Application of either loose or pelletized wood ash, as well as of commercial fertilizers, increased foliar potassium and boron concentrations, and thus successfully remedied the existing nutrient imbalances and deficiencies. Since phosphorus deficiencies are rarely encountered on field afforestation sites, poor-quality wood ash with low phosphorus concentration could be used. Peat ash containing phosphorus, but only small amounts of potassium and boron, was not found to be very suitable for soil amelioration in connection with field afforestation. Coal ash, containing only small amounts of potassium, was a good source of boron for pine even when used in small amounts, and thus it can be used in cases where boron deficiencies alone are encountered. Wood ash significantly increased the height growth of Scots pines in two of the experiments, but peat ash and coal ash had no statistically significant effect. Wood ash increased the number of healthy seedlings. Vegetation control decreased seedling mortality by 24%, increased the growth of pine and decreased the proportion of trees damaged by elk and by deciduous trees.", "keywords": ["peat soils", "m\u00e4nty", "peat ash", "herbisidit", "puun tuhka", "630*2", "01 natural sciences", "630", "herbicides", "hiilen tuhka", "afforestation", "coal ash", "vegetation control", "turvemaat", "kasvillisuuden torjunta", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "580", "2. Zero hunger", "wood ash", "Forestry", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "SD1-669.5", "15. Life on land", "lannoitus", "Scots pine", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "turpeen tuhka"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Hyt\u00f6nen, Jyrki", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.503"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Silva%20Fennica", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.14214/sf.503", "name": "item", "description": "10.14214/sf.503", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.14214/sf.503"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2003-01-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10138/334890", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:22:14Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-06-21", "title": "Hydraulic and Physical Properties of Managed and Intact Peatlands: Application of the Van Genuchten\u2010Mualem Models to Peat Soils", "description": "Abstract

Undisturbed peatlands are effective carbon sinks and provide a variety of ecosystem services. However, anthropogenic disturbances, especially land drainage, strongly alter peat soil properties and jeopardize the benefits of peatlands. The effects of disturbances should therefore be assessed and predicted. To support accurate modeling, this study determined the physical and hydraulic properties of intact and disturbed peat samples collected from 59 sites (in total 3,073 samples) in Finland and Norway. The bulk density (BD), porosity, and specific yield (Sy) values obtained indicated that the top layer (0\uffe2\uff80\uff9330\uffc2\uffa0cm depth) at agricultural and peat extraction sites was most affected by land use change. The BD in the top layer at agricultural, peat extraction, and forestry sites was 441%, 140%, and 92% higher, respectively, than that of intact peatlands. Porosity decreased with increased BD, but not linearly. Agricultural and peat extraction sites had the lowest saturated hydraulic conductivity, Sy, and porosity, and the highest BD of the land use options studied. The van Genuchten\uffe2\uff80\uff90Mualem (vGM) soil water retention curve (SWRC) and hydraulic conductivity (K) models proved to be applicable for the peat soils tested, providing values of SWRC, K, and vGM\uffe2\uff80\uff90parameters (\uffce\uffb1 and n) for peat layers (top, middle and bottom) under different land uses. A decrease in peat soil water content of \uffe2\uff89\uffa510% reduced the unsaturated K values by two orders of magnitude. This unique data set can be used to improve hydrological modeling in peat\uffe2\uff80\uff90dominated catchments and for fuller integration of peat soils into large\uffe2\uff80\uff90scale hydrological models.