Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK
Diversity of fungi and potential function in naturally regenerating cut-over
peatlands
Rebekka Artz, Stephen Chapman, Ian Anderson, and Colin Campbell
Fungal communities in peat
• Fungi are the primary degraders of plant necromass
• So far, investigations of fungi have focused on standing plant material or litter only
• Direct identification or cultivation used• Differences in bacterial and archaeal
composition of peat horizons shown using molecular techniques - how about fungi?
• Is fungal community composition an indicator of regeneration?
Site descriptor Location Time (y) since abandonment Vegetation
SC_A Middlemuir Moss, UK < 5 Bare peat
SC_B Middlemuir Moss, UK 5-10 Sphagnum fallax(> 95%)
SC_C Middlemuir Moss, UK 5-10 Eriophorum angustifolium (> 70%), E. vaginatum (5-10%), Sp. fallax (15-20%)
SC_D Middlemuir Moss, UK >50 Sphagnum spp. (e.g. palustre, capillifolium, fallax; >80%), Mollinia spp.; other mosses
FB_A Baupte peatland, France 5-10 Bare
FB_B Baupte peatland, France 5-10 Eriophorum vaginatum (10-20 %)
FR_A Russey, France 5-10 Bare peat
FR_B Russey, France 5-10 S. fallax, E. angustifolium, E. vaginatum (rare)
FR_C Russey, France >50 S. fallax, E. angustifolium, E. vaginatum, Calluna vulgaris
CH_A La Chaux d’Abel, Suisse 5-10 S. fallax (discontinuous), Polytrichum strictum, P. commune, E. vaginatum, Potentilla erecta
CH_B La Chaux d’Abel, Suisse Intermediate Intermediate
CH_C La Chaux d’Abel, Suisse >40 S. fallax (continuous), P. strictum, P. commune, E. vaginatum, Vaccinium spp.
FI_A Aitoneva, Finland 10 Eriophorum vaginatum, wet
FI_B Aitoneva, Finland 10 Eriophorum vaginatum, dry
FI_C Aitoneva, Finland 10 Carex rostrata, wet
FI_D Aitoneva, Finland 10 Sphagnum fallax (+others), wet
FI_E Aitoneva, Finland 10 Bare peat
FIFI
SCSC
FBFB
CHCHFRFR
2
3
4
6
8
Vascular plant litter (if present)
0 – 5 cm moss (if present) or peat
5 – 10 cm moss (if present) or peat
22.5 – 27.5 cm peat
42.5 – 47.5 cm peat
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
40080012001600200024002800320036004000
SC_D31 SC_D32 SC_D33
OM decomposition in peat horizons
OH
WaxesLignins
CHOH
SC_D site: > 50 y regeneration
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
40080012001600200024002800320036004000
SC_D41 SC_D42 SC_D43
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
40080012001600200024002800320036004000
SC_D61 SC_D62 SC_D63
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
40080012001600200024002800320036004000
SC_D81 SC_D82 SC_D83
OM decomposition in peat horizons
Site SC_B: 5-10 y regeneration, 2 cm of Sp. fallax and Eriophorum spp.
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
40080012001600200024002800320036004000
SC_B31 SC_B32 SC_B33
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
40080012001600200024002800320036004000
SC_B41 SC_B42 SC_B43
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
40080012001600200024002800320036004000
SC_B61 SC_B62 SC_B63
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
40080012001600200024002800320036004000
SC_B81 SC_B82 SC_B83
18 S 5.8 S 28 SITS1 ITS2
ITS1F & ITS4R
ITS1F+GC & ITS2R
Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis
DGGE of fungal ITS
DGGE gel patterns of fungal ITS fragments from SC_B
Formamide + urea
30 %
60 %
Cluster analysis on band patterns
Differences between peat horizons can be distinguished
Lower peat horizons
Upper peat horizons
M Undisturbed Milled
1 2 3 1 2 3
Cut-over peat surfaces have lower fungal diversity and generally different community structure
Significant differences between sites
Colonised with Sp. fallax, Eriophorum spp.; > 50 y
Colonised with Sp. fallax, Eriophorum spp.; 5-10 y
Undisturbed peat
Bare surface, 5-10 y
Older sites of regeneration have band patterns more similar to those of intact sites
Horizon 4
Conclusions
• Cut-over peat surfaces have lower and different fungal diversity to intact surfaces
• Peat horizons show significantly differing fungal communities, probably due to the nature of available carbon substrates
• Site-to-site differences
• Natural regeneration of peat shows fungal communities that become more similar to undisturbed peat over time – an indicator of regeneration?
Acknowledgements
• RECIPE: Reconciling commercial exploitation of peat with biodiversity of peatland ecosystems (www.macaulay.ac.uk\RECIPE)
• The many RECIPE partners in Finland, France, Switzerland and Germany