Title | Nitrogen and sulphur input and accumulation in continental ombrotrophic peatland ecosystems in Alberta, Canada |
Publication Type | Thesis |
Year of Publication | 2008 |
Authors | Burke-Scholl, M. J. |
Issue | M. S. |
Pagination | 100 |
Place Published | Villanova University |
Publication Language | en |
Keywords | nutrient cycles |
Abstract | Models predict increases in N and S deposition in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of Alberta that often exceed critical load values for sensitive ecosystems. I used 10 bog sites within a modeled deposition gradient to assess current SO42- , NO3- , and NH 4+ deposition rates compared to historical N and S accumulations. There were no spatial patterns in NO3- , NH 4+ , total inorganic N, and SO42- deposition rates, and deposition from all sites were low and not above predicted background levels. There were also no spatial patterns in C, N, and S accumulation data. An interesting pattern persisted across all sites: data showed substantially more peat N accumulation than can be accounted for through atmospheric deposition alone. I examined whether biological N2 fixation could be an additional source and found evidence of nitrogenase activity in all bryophyte communities sampled. This phenomenon may represent a previously underestimated source of N to boreal bogs. |
URL | http://search.proquest.com/docview/193991476 |
Topics | Biology |
Locational Keywords | Athabasca Oil Sands |
Group | Science |
Citation Key | 48860 |