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Getting to the root of the problem: litter decomposition and peat formation in lowland Neotropical peatlands

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Abstract

Litter decomposition is an important control on carbon accumulation in tropical peatlands. We investigated the contribution of different litter tissues from two peatland tree species (Raphia taedigera and Campnosperma panamensis) to peat formation in four lowland tropical peatlands in the Republic of Panama. Leaves, stems, and roots decomposed at different rates; with roots being the slowest to decompose among tissues. The position of litter in the peat profile strongly influenced the decomposition rate of all tissue types. Roots decomposed up to five times faster at the surface than at 50 cm depth. Molecular characterization of litter and peat profiles by tetramethylammonium-pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (TMAH-Py-GC/MS) revealed that the peat is formed predominantly of decomposed roots and stems, as indicated by the high lignin, low methylated fatty acids and carbohydrate concentrations in these litter types. Taken together, these data demonstrate that roots play a fundamental role in the formation of lowland Neotropical peatlands.

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Acknowledgments

Data to support this article can be made available upon request. Jorge Hoyos-Santillan thanks The National Council on Science and Technology (CONACyT-Mexico) for his Ph.D. scholarship (211962). The authors also thank the Light Hawk program for its support in the aerial surveys. We thank Erick Brown for invaluable help as field assistant; as well as Gabriel Jácome, Plinio Góndola, Tania Romero and Dayana Agudo for logistical support and laboratory assistance at the STRI. In addition, we thank John Corrie and Darren Hepworth for their help in logistics and laboratory assistance at the University of Nottingham.

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  1. Division of Agricultural and Environmental Science, School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Room C-36 Gateway Building, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK

    Jorge Hoyos-Santillan, Barry H. Lomax & Sofie Sjögersten

  2. Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, The University of Nottingham, Room A13 Coates Building, University Park Campus, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

    David Large

  3. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado Balboa, 0843–03092, Ancon, Republic of Panama

    Benjamin L. Turner

  4. Department of Geography, University of Leicester, Bennett Building - F72b, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK

    Arnoud Boom

  5. Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT-AIP), Ciudad del Saber, Clayton, 0843-01103, Republic of Panama

    Omar R. Lopez

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  1. Jorge Hoyos-Santillan
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Hoyos-Santillan, J., Lomax, B.H., Large, D. et al. Getting to the root of the problem: litter decomposition and peat formation in lowland Neotropical peatlands. Biogeochemistry 126, 115–129 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-015-0147-7

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