Reindeer droppings may increase methane production potential in subarctic wetlands

Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) herding is a major land-use form in northern Eurasian peatlands, especially subarctic fens. Nevertheless, the impacts of reindeer grazing on the functioning of peatland ecosystems remain virtually unexplored. Here we show with a laboratory incubation study that reindeer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Soil biology & biochemistry 2017-10, Vol.113, p.260-262
Main Authors: Laiho, Raija, Penttilä, Timo, Fritze, Hannu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Caribou
CH4
Grazing
Greenhouse gas exchange
Peat
Peatland
Reindeer
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Summary:Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) herding is a major land-use form in northern Eurasian peatlands, especially subarctic fens. Nevertheless, the impacts of reindeer grazing on the functioning of peatland ecosystems remain virtually unexplored. Here we show with a laboratory incubation study that reindeer droppings may stimulate methane production in peat soils, a phenomenon that should be quantified at field scale and taken into account when analyzing the greenhouse gas exchange of northern peatlands. This is a globally important topic, since these peatlands hold potential for contributing notably to atmospheric carbon gas concentrations. •Impacts of reindeer droppings in anoxic peat soil were studied for the first time.•Reindeer droppings increased pH.•Reindeer droppings increased methane production potential.•Dropping impacts on methane production should be quantified in situ.
ISSN:0038-0717
1879-3428
DOI:10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.06.017