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- Title
C=N ratio, stable isotope (δ<sup>13</sup>C, δ<sup>15</sup>N), and n-alkane patterns of brown mosses along hydrological gradients of low-centred polygons of the Siberian Arctic.
- Authors
Zibulski, Romy; Wesener, Felix; Wilkes, Heinz; Plessen, Birgit; Pestryakova, Luidmila A.; Herzschuh, Ulrike
- Abstract
Mosses are a major component of the arctic vegetation, particularly in wetlands. We present C/N atomic ratio, δ13C and δ15N data of 400 brown-moss samples belonging to 10 species that were collected along hydrological gradients within polygonal mires located on the southern Taymyr Peninsula and the Lena River delta in northern Siberia. Additionally, n-alkane patterns of six of these species (16 samples) were investigated. The aim of the study is to see whether the inter- and intraspecific differences in C/N, isotopic compositions and n-alkanes are indicative of habitat, particularly with respect to water level. Overall, we find high variability in all investigated parameters for two different moisture-related groups of moss species. The C/N ratios range between 11 and 53 (median: 32) and show large variations at the intraspecific level. However, species preferring a dry habitat (xero-mesophilic mosses) show higher C/N ratios than those preferring a wet habitat (meso-hygrophilic mosses). The δ13C values range between 37.0 and 22.5‰ (median=-27.8‰). The δ15N values range between -6.6 and C1.7‰(median=-2.2‰). We find differences in δ13C and δ15N compositions between both habitat types. For some species of the meso-hygrophilic group, we suggest that a relationship between the individual habitat water level and isotopic composition can be inferred as a function of microbial symbiosis. The n-alkane distribution also shows differences primarily between xeromesophilic and meso-hygrophilic mosses, i.e. having a dominance of n-alkanes with long (n-C29, n-C31) and intermediate (n-C25/ chain lengths, respectively. Overall, our results reveal that C=N ratios, isotopic signals and n-alkanes of studied brown-moss taxa from polygonal wetlands are characteristic of their habitat.
- Subjects
TAYMYR Peninsula (Russia); LENA River Delta (Russia); RUSSIA; MOSSES; VEGETATION &; climate; WETLANDS
- Publication
Biogeosciences, 2017, Vol 14, Issue 6, p1617
- ISSN
1726-4170
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.5194/bg-14-1617-2017