Sources of nitrous oxide and the fate of mineral nitrogen in subarctic permafrost peat soils

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from permafrost-affected terrestrial ecosystems have received little attention, largely because they have been thought to be negligible. Recent studies, however, have shown that there are habitats in the subarctic tundra emitting N2O at high rates, such as bare peat (BP) surfaces on permafrost peatlands. Nevertheless, the processes behind N2O production in these high-emission habitats are poorly understood. In this study, we established an in situ 15N-labeling experiment with two main objectives: (1) to partition the microbial sources of N2O emitted from BP surfaces on permafrost peatlands and (2) to study the fate of ammonium and nitrate in these soils and in …