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The Role of Sphagnum in Peatland Development and Persistence

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Boreal Peatland Ecosystems

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 188))

4.7 Conclusions

Sphagnum mosses not only dominate large areas of the boreal peatlands, but they have also formed these habitats by their growth and production of decay-resistant litter. As they invade, they can quickly transform a high-pH fen with little peat accumulation to a bog where large amounts of carbon is stored. They are also responsible for the many types of surface patterns observed in peatlands. Their ability to shape and transform mires can to a large extent be understood from the peculiar anatomy and biochemistry, a fact which makes the links between species’ traits and ecosystem functions in peatlands very strong.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Villavägen 14, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden

    Håkan Rydin, Urban Gunnarsson & Sebastian Sundberg

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  1. Håkan Rydin
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  2. Urban Gunnarsson
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  3. Sebastian Sundberg
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, 19085, USA

    R. Kelman Wieder

  2. Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, 62901-6509, USA

    Dale H. Vitt

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Rydin, H., Gunnarsson, U., Sundberg, S. (2006). The Role of Sphagnum in Peatland Development and Persistence. In: Wieder, R.K., Vitt, D.H. (eds) Boreal Peatland Ecosystems. Ecological Studies, vol 188. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg . https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-31913-9_4

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