Search results for "long-term drainage"

The impact of long-term water level draw-down on microbial biomass : A comparative study from two peatland sites with different nutrient status

2017

We examined the effects of long-term (51 years) drainage on peat microbial communities using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. We analysed the peat profiles of natural and adjacent drained fen and bog sites. Viable microbes (i.e. microbial PLFA) were present in relatively large amounts even in the deepest peat layers of both peatland sites, a finding that warrants further investigation. Microbial biomass was generally higher in the fen than in the bog. Microbial community structure (indexed from PLFA) differed between the fen and bog sites and among depths. Although we did not exclude other factors, the effect of drainage on the total microbial biomass and community structure was not…