Program on the Environment

Peatlands are unique ecosystems that store very high amounts of carbon dioxide, and are therefore facing degradation as they are dug out for the fuel content of the peat soil. Sphagnum moss species are the keystone organisms allowing the peat to form in the last remaining peat bog ecosystems. Through my internship at SHADOW Lake Nature Preserve, this study was aimed to understand the diversity, distribution, and abundance of Sphagnum and Feather moss species over two years in SHADOW’s peat bog. I created a Sphagnum identification guide to be in our 2-year succession study, in which I collected data at 15 points in the peat bog and further analyzed species distribution and abundance data, comparing the moss genuses Sphagnum and Feather. I further researched and analyzed the distribution of the mosses and their correlation to environmental variables.
Sphagnum’s distribution occurred at relatively low frequencies in both years, suggesting their distribution is driven by microhabitat conditions such as hydrology, sun exposure, and topography. In contrast, Feather mosses had low relative variability and high occurrence. The findings support the idea that Sphagnum functions as a more microhabitat-specialist group, while Feather mosses behave as generalists with broader environmental tolerance. These results can help inform the conservation and management of plant species at SHADOW, strengthening research about ecosystem functions and the successional changes. This will help inform on the decomposition rates for carbon accumulation in peat bogs, which is an avenue for facing increasing carbon dioxide emissions due to climate change.