Using palaeoecology to support blanket peatland management

利用古生态学支持覆盖泥炭地管理

• 批准号: 2887773
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Leeds
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2887773
• 关键词: Using; palaeoecology; support; blanket; peatland

Peatlands cover 3% of the world's surface but store up to 30% of soil carbon, which is more organic carbon than any other terrestrial store (Parish et al., 2008). In the UK, blanket peatlands constitute the greatest terrestrial carbon reserves (Cannell et al., 1999) and represent up to 10-15% of all blanket peatlands worldwide. Degradation of these sites via numerous causes such as pollution, overgrazing, artificial drainage and burning (Holden, 2007) and a subsequent recognition of their importance in terms of carbon storage, provision of potable water, possible flood management and as areas for wildlife conservation have led to extensive attempts to implement restoration schemes.Although widespread in the UK, restoration schemes are rarely carried out with consideration of the location's previous history of peatland development. Restoration implies a return to some previous, more pristine state, but knowing whether such a goal has been achieved is not possible if that original, pristine state is not known. Palaeoecological techniques can help us to understand how peatland ecosystems have changed over thousands of years, including their vegetation and surface-wetness histories. They provide a means to contextualise the present state of the peatland so that restoration can be tailored around site-specific evidence of what a "natural" peatland should look like (Chambers et al. 1999, Chambers & Daniell 2011). However, evidence from palaeoecological analyses is rarely requested or utilised by practitioners. By cooperating closely with restoration agencies, the benefits of palaeoecological work to guide restoration plans will be highlighted. This site-specific approach can provide restoration goals that are more appropriate and achievable. For example, Sphagnum planting is a standard practice when restoration occurs but there is evidence that - although an important peat-building constituent - UK blanket bogs can be relatively devoid of Sphagnum (Blundell and Holden, 2015). It is envisaged that the study could follow a two-tier approach involving i) in-field analyses and ii) laboratory-based microscope work. The former providing peat depths, evidence of Sphagnum and charcoal, would supply a spatial perspective whereas the latter via master core could be analysed for pollen, charcoal, macrofossils, testate amoebae and humification allowing point specific but highly detailed reconstruction of the site's vegetation and hydrological development and human induced change. This work will seek to highlight and contrast the substantial influence of humans on these blanket peatland sites over the last few centuries so the atypical nature of the present state can be established. Robust chronologies would be sought via AMS radiocarbon dating but the candidate could explore other complementary techniques.Although a primary aim of the project will be to inform blanket peatland management, other benefits include reconstruction of regional climate and environmental change (Blundell et al., 2018). Stratigraphic analyses and peat depths would also permit detailed site-specific estimates of carbon storage. This project would disseminate findings to partners and hope to influence restoration practice for the better.

泥炭地覆盖了世界表面的 3%，但储存了高达 30% 的土壤碳，这比任何其他陆地储存的有机碳都多（Parish 等，2008）。在英国，覆盖式泥炭地构成了最大的陆地碳储量（Cannell 等，1999），占全世界所有覆盖式泥炭地的 10-15%。这些地点由于污染、过度放牧、人工排水和燃烧等多种原因而退化（Holden，2007），随后人们认识到它们在碳储存、提供饮用水、可能的洪水管理以及作为野生动物保护区方面的重要性。导致了实施恢复计划的广泛尝试。尽管恢复计划在英国很普遍，但很少在执行恢复计划时考虑到该地区以前的泥炭地开发历史。恢复意味着返回到一些以前的、更原始的状态，但是如果不知道原始的、原始的状态，就不可能知道是否已经实现了这样的目标。古生态技术可以帮助我们了解泥炭地生态系统数千年来的变化，包括它们的植被和地表湿润历史。它们提供了一种将泥炭地现状与背景联系起来的方法，以便可以根据“自然”泥炭地应有的样子的特定地点的证据来定制恢复（Chambers et al. 1999，Chambers & Daniell 2011）。然而，从业者很少要求或利用古生态学分析的证据。通过与恢复机构密切合作，古生态工作指导恢复计划的好处将得到凸显。这种针对特定地点的方法可以提供更合适且可实现的恢复目标。例如，种植泥炭藓是恢复时的标准做法，但有证据表明，尽管泥炭是重要的泥炭建筑成分，但英国毯状沼泽可能相对缺乏泥炭藓（Blundell 和 Holden，2015）。预计该研究可以遵循两层方法，包括 i) 现场分析和 ii) 基于实验室的显微镜工作。前者提供泥炭深度、泥炭藓和木炭的证据，将提供空间视角，而后者通过主核心可以分析花粉、木炭、大型化石、睾丸变形虫和腐殖化，从而可以对场地的植被和水文进行特定点但高度详细的重建发展和人类引起的变化。这项工作将试图强调和对比过去几个世纪人类对这些泥炭地遗址的重大影响，以便确定目前状态的非典型性质。通过 AMS 放射性碳测年可以寻求可靠的年表，但候选者可以探索其他补充技术。虽然该项目的主要目标是为全面泥炭地管理提供信息，但其他好处包括重建区域气候和环境变化（Blundell 等，2018） ）。地层分析和泥炭深度也将允许对特定地点的碳储存进行详细的估计。该项目将向合作伙伴传播研究结果，并希望更好地影响修复实践。