The exchange of carbon and water between a temperate peatland and the atmosphere was studied directly for the vascular plants; Chamaedaphne calyculata, Kalmia angustifolia, Vaccinium myrtilloides, and Maianthemum trifolium and indirectly for the bryophytes; Sphagnum rubellum and S. magellanicum. In vascular plants, carbon and water fluxes were well coupled (∼2.27 mumol CO 2 mmol-1 H2O) except in the post-deciduous period where temperature constrained water flux more than carbon flux. The seasonal cycle of Sphagnum water content was driven by water table depth; rain depth, rain frequency and atmospheric vapor pressure deficit. In 2000, these factors combined to cause primarily over saturation with regard to optimal net photosynthesis in Sphagnum. Carbon and water exchange at the community scale was also studied and related to the leaf level patterns observed. Few leaf level patterns were observable at the community scale although the effects of species composition and leaf area index were well represented in the community signal.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.33829 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Reimer, Adam. |
| Contributors | Roulet, Nigel (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Geography.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001873022, proquestno: MQ78946, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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