Impact of drainage on peatland soil environments and greenhouse gas emissions in Northeast China
Abstract Peatlands are vital for global carbon storage, but drainage significantly disrupts their natural carbon cycling. Drainage alters peatland soil environments in complex ways, affecting factors such as water table, soil temperature, organic carbon (SOC), pH, and microbial communities. However,...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| author | Tao Yang Jing Jiang Qiang He Fengxue Shi Haibo Jiang Haitao Wu Chunguang He |
| author_facet | Tao Yang Jing Jiang Qiang He Fengxue Shi Haibo Jiang Haitao Wu Chunguang He |
| author_sort | Tao Yang |
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| description | Abstract Peatlands are vital for global carbon storage, but drainage significantly disrupts their natural carbon cycling. Drainage alters peatland soil environments in complex ways, affecting factors such as water table, soil temperature, organic carbon (SOC), pH, and microbial communities. However, how these factors interact to influence GHG emissions remains unclear. In this study, we compared water table, soil temperature, soil properties, microbial community structure, and GHG emissions across three zones of a peatland in Northeast China undergoing drainage: drained, transition, and natural areas. The average water table in the drained area was significantly lower than in the natural area (from 11.45 cm to -13.47 cm), shifting from waterlogged to unsaturated conditions. Deep soil temperatures in the drained area decreased by 1 ~ 3 °C. The pH of the upper soil layer was higher in the drained area (5.05 ~ 5.29 vs. 4.64 ~ 4.71), while SOC was lower (197.31 ~ 374.75 g/kg vs. 437.05 ~ 512.71 g/kg). Aerobic bacteria (mainly Solibacter) were more abundant in the drained area, while methanogens (mainly hydrogenotrophic) declined significantly. Fungal diversity increased from the natural to drained area with increased negative interactions and enhanced network modularity. Drainage reduced CH4 emissions but increased CO2 and N2O emissions, resulting in a significant rise in net GHG emissions (8.86 ~ 10.65 vs. 22.27 ~ 24.26 t CO2-eq·ha⁻¹·season⁻¹), primarily driven by increased CO2. CO2 emissions were positively correlated with soil temperature, aerobic bacteria, facultatively anaerobic bacteria and pH, but negatively correlated with water table, anaerobic bacteria, soil moisture and C/N ratio. CH4 flux was positively correlated with methanogens and water table, but negatively correlated with pH. The effects of drainage were more pronounced near drainage ditches, particularly for CO2 emissions, highlighting the localized impacts of drainage on peatland GHG fluxes. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-3e333fc93bb34c1eaa4f1ab2c42ae37f2025-08-20T03:01:23ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115112010.1038/s41598-025-92655-9Impact of drainage on peatland soil environments and greenhouse gas emissions in Northeast ChinaTao Yang0Jing Jiang1Qiang He2Fengxue Shi3Haibo Jiang4Haitao Wu5Chunguang He6Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Northeast Normal UniversityJilin Shize Environmental Protection Group Co., LtdDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of TennesseeKey Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Northeast Normal UniversityKey Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Northeast Normal UniversityKey Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Institute of Northeast Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of SciencesKey Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Northeast Normal UniversityAbstract Peatlands are vital for global carbon storage, but drainage significantly disrupts their natural carbon cycling. Drainage alters peatland soil environments in complex ways, affecting factors such as water table, soil temperature, organic carbon (SOC), pH, and microbial communities. However, how these factors interact to influence GHG emissions remains unclear. In this study, we compared water table, soil temperature, soil properties, microbial community structure, and GHG emissions across three zones of a peatland in Northeast China undergoing drainage: drained, transition, and natural areas. The average water table in the drained area was significantly lower than in the natural area (from 11.45 cm to -13.47 cm), shifting from waterlogged to unsaturated conditions. Deep soil temperatures in the drained area decreased by 1 ~ 3 °C. The pH of the upper soil layer was higher in the drained area (5.05 ~ 5.29 vs. 4.64 ~ 4.71), while SOC was lower (197.31 ~ 374.75 g/kg vs. 437.05 ~ 512.71 g/kg). Aerobic bacteria (mainly Solibacter) were more abundant in the drained area, while methanogens (mainly hydrogenotrophic) declined significantly. Fungal diversity increased from the natural to drained area with increased negative interactions and enhanced network modularity. Drainage reduced CH4 emissions but increased CO2 and N2O emissions, resulting in a significant rise in net GHG emissions (8.86 ~ 10.65 vs. 22.27 ~ 24.26 t CO2-eq·ha⁻¹·season⁻¹), primarily driven by increased CO2. CO2 emissions were positively correlated with soil temperature, aerobic bacteria, facultatively anaerobic bacteria and pH, but negatively correlated with water table, anaerobic bacteria, soil moisture and C/N ratio. CH4 flux was positively correlated with methanogens and water table, but negatively correlated with pH. The effects of drainage were more pronounced near drainage ditches, particularly for CO2 emissions, highlighting the localized impacts of drainage on peatland GHG fluxes.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92655-9PeatlandDrainageSoil environmentGreenhouse gasesMethanogens |
| spellingShingle | Tao Yang Jing Jiang Qiang He Fengxue Shi Haibo Jiang Haitao Wu Chunguang He Impact of drainage on peatland soil environments and greenhouse gas emissions in Northeast China Scientific Reports Peatland Drainage Soil environment Greenhouse gases Methanogens |
| title | Impact of drainage on peatland soil environments and greenhouse gas emissions in Northeast China |
| title_full | Impact of drainage on peatland soil environments and greenhouse gas emissions in Northeast China |
| title_fullStr | Impact of drainage on peatland soil environments and greenhouse gas emissions in Northeast China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of drainage on peatland soil environments and greenhouse gas emissions in Northeast China |
| title_short | Impact of drainage on peatland soil environments and greenhouse gas emissions in Northeast China |
| title_sort | impact of drainage on peatland soil environments and greenhouse gas emissions in northeast china |
| topic | Peatland Drainage Soil environment Greenhouse gases Methanogens |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92655-9 |
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