Controls of <i>Sphagnum</i> growth and the role of winter

Abstract

Abstract Sphagnum is the major genus in northern peatlands that contributes to peat formation and carbon sequestration. Sphagnum growth in summer has been fairly well studied but the information about growth in autumn and winter is limited. Therefore, we studied how the growth of Sphagnum is seasonally distributed with a particular interest on possible winter growth. The linear increment and biomass production of three Sphagum species was measured in three Northern European bogs over a year. In all sites, our results indicate the highest annual linear increment in S. angustifolium (28 mm), followed by S. magellanicum (20 mm) and S. fuscum (13 mm), but the biomass production was fairly even among the species (189, 192 and 215 g m −2 , respectively). Both linear increment and biomass production depended mostly on meteorological parameters rather than ecophysiological or microsite properties. The seasonal measurements revealed a significant linear increment and biomass production during the winter that accounted for ca. 10% and ca. 5% from the annual values, respectively. Moreover, the mean daily rates of linear increment in autumn often exceeded the increment in summer. Our results thus indicate the ability for year‐around growth of Sphagna if the conditions are favorable, including during boreal winter.