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SUMMARY:Management and restoration of peatlands - why the microbial world 
 matters
DTSTART:20090406T161500
DTSTAMP:20260916T042506Z
UID:50742103dd5b5b2fa96016d767f98909e6d52afb2c946c7dc8bb5386
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Dr Rebekka Artz\, The Macaulay Institute\, UK\nPeatlands are a
  net sink for atmospheric CO2 \, yet these ecosystems \nhave generally bee
 n severely degraded by drainage\, afforestation or peat  harvesting. Such 
 peatlands unfortunately frequently act as net sources of C and hence there
  is growing interest in active management or even restoration of such ecos
 ystems. Recent data suggest that a return to carbon sink function may be f
 easible within a few decades following active restoration. However\, our u
 nderstanding of the microbial processes and drivers that govern the turnov
 er of C and hence affect the balance of decomposition losses versus net ph
 otosynthetic uptake of C is far from comprehensive. This seminar will prov
 ide an overview of our knowledge of the functions of soil micro-organisms 
 in peatlands\, their interactions with peatland vegetation and their respo
 nses to changes in the physicochemical environment. There is great interes
 t in possible climate change related 'feedback' mechanisms. The evidence f
 or and against these will be presented and implications for net C sequestr
 ation in peatland ecosystems discussed.
LOCATION:GR B30
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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