Carbon decomposition processes in a peat from the Australian Alps |
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| Authors: | S P P Grover J A Baldock |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Agricultural Sciences, Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology, La Trobe University, Vic 3086, Australia;2. CRC for Greenhouse Accounting, GPO Box 475, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia;3. Present address: School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Charles Darwin University, NT 0909, Australia.;4. CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Carbon dioxide emissions and the mass loss of peat incubated in situ were measured in peat soils in the Australian Alps. The carbon chemistry of incubated peats was characterized using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). In situ decomposition decreased as a function of increasing alkyl carbon content of the initial organic matter, providing direct evidence of the oft‐cited link between substrate quality and decomposition rates. More mass loss occurred in the bog peat samples than in the dried peat samples. However, at the peat surface, the amount of CO2 emitted was not significantly different between bog peat and dried peat. Carbon inputs, and therefore the sink or source status, of these peats are yet to be quantified. |
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