Abstract
Human activities have recently caused severe destruction of Sphagnum wetlands in subtropical high-mountain regions, calling for urgent efforts to restore Sphagnum wetlands. Through a greenhouse experiment in western Hubei, China, we studied the effects of different substrate types (peat and mountain soil) and different levels of nitrogen (N) (0, 2, 4, 6, 10 g m−2 year−1) and phosphorus (P) (0, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2 g m−2 year−1) on the growth of Sphagnum palustre, which was evaluated by four growth indicators: length growth, number of capitula, coverage change and biomass. We aimed to determine the optimal nutrient conditions for S. palustre growth, which would contribute to the rapid colonization and restoration of Sphagnum wetlands. The results showed that the different substrates significantly influenced S. palustre growth. Compared with those of peat, the acidic properties of the local yellow brown soil in the subtropical high-mountain regions were more favorable for S. palustre growth. As N addition increased, the four growth indicators responded inconsistently to the different substrates. While the number of capitula markedly increased, the other three indicators significantly decreased in the mountain soil or exhibited no definitive changes in the peat. The addition of P markedly promoted S. palustre growth in both substrates. However, a threshold for P fertilization existed; the highest productivity occurred at P additions of 0.2 and 0.5 g m−2 year−1 in the peat and mountain soil, respectively. The N and P contents in the capitula increased in parallel as the N and P fertilization rates increased, suggesting that these nutrients were absorbed proportionately and were used during the growth of S. palustre.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Kai Tian, Binmei Xiong, Ze Li, Qianqian Peng, Yu Chen, and Shichao Li for their help with growth indicator measurements and Qichi Yang, Yuyang Xu, and Bangjun Lin for their help with physical and chemical property measurements of plants and substrates. This experiment complies with all laws of the People’s Republic of China, where it was performed.
Funding
This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41471041); the Technology Innovation Planning Project of Hubei Province, China (2017ABA161); and the Open Foundation of the Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response, China (2017(A)001).
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Li, TT., Lei, Y., Dai, C. et al. Effects of both substrate and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer on Sphagnum palustre growth in subtropical high-mountain regions and implications for peatland recovery. Wetlands Ecol Manage 26, 651–663 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-018-9598-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-018-9598-7