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Microbial Communities, Biomass, and Carbon Mineralization in Acidic, Nutrient-Poor Peatlands Impacted by Metal and Acid Deposition

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Abstract

Peatlands serve as important stores of organic matter and regulators of nutrient and metal export to surface waters, yet relatively little is known regarding the impact of more than a century of metal, sulfur, and acid deposition on microbial activity in acidic, nutrient-poor peatlands that are common features around Sudbury, Ontario. In this study, eight peatlands were selected at varying distances from the Copper Cliff Smelter that was once the largest point source of sulfur dioxide and sampled for analysis of nutrient and metal content. Basal microbial respiration, relative response to substrate addition (four synthetic and four natural substrates) assessed as CO2 production rates and microbial biomass were assessed in surface (0–10 cm) peat samples. Bacterial and fungal communities within the peat samples were profiled using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Basal respiration (i.e., carbon mineralization in absence of substrate addition) was lowest and Cu and Ni concentrations and the degree of humification (assessed by the von Post scale) in surface peat samples were highest close to the smelter. Each peatland had a unique bacterial community when assessed using non-metric multidimensional scaling, whereas the fungal community was variable with no consistent patterns across the sites. Despite differences in microbial communities, substrate-induced respiration rates did not differ among peatlands as sites generally responded similarly to carbon substrate additions. Basal respiration rates were related to the humification status of the peat, which was potentially related to environmental degradation in the peatlands or surrounding terrestrial systems closer to the Sudbury smelters.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Vale INCO, Xstrata and the City of Greater Sudbury for financial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental and Resource Studies Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8, Canada

    Samantha Luke & Shaun A. Watmough

  2. Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 1C6, Canada

    Michael D. Preston & Nathan Basiliko

  3. Department of Biology and the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada

    Nathan Basiliko

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  1. Samantha Luke
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  2. Michael D. Preston
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Correspondence to Shaun A. Watmough.

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Luke, S., Preston, M.D., Basiliko, N. et al. Microbial Communities, Biomass, and Carbon Mineralization in Acidic, Nutrient-Poor Peatlands Impacted by Metal and Acid Deposition. Water Air Soil Pollut 226, 19 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-014-2265-6

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