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Elevation and temperature are strong predictors of long-term carbon accumulation across tropical Andean mountain peatlands

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Abstract

Mountain peatlands are understudied globally, especially in tropical regions such as the Andes. Their high abundance across the landscape and thick carbon (C)-rich soils establish them as regionally important C reservoirs. However, they are at high risk of degradation due to unsustainable land use and climate change. Mitigation of these threats requires detailed inventories of C stocks present and improved understanding of the major drivers of long-term C accumulation in these ecosystems. We cored 24 peatlands located between 3000 and 4800 m elevation across Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, calculated C storage and long-term and recent apparent rate of C accumulation (LARCA and RARCA, respectively), and tested their relationships to environmental variables (elevation, temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation). The peatlands had a mean thickness of 4.7 m (range, 0.7‒11.25 m). The mean age of peatland was 7918 yrs B.P., with a range from 490 to 20,000 yrs B.P. The mean C stock was 1743 Mg ha-1 and did not significantly vary by climatic region or basal age but did increase with elevation. LARCA was best predicted by age and elevation, while RARCA was negatively related to mean annual temperature. These findings indicate that peatlands in the tropical Andes store thick deposits of soil C that are likely influenced by temperature, making them vulnerable to changes in climate. To inform climate policy, there is a need for science that will determine the potential for adaptation and mitigation treatments to increase the resilience of these C-rich ecosystems to climate change.

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Data availability

Soil physical properties of bulk density, % C, and % organic matter for all 25 peat cores can be accessed at the CIFOR Database of tropical wetlands carbon survey: Soil (https://data.cifor.org/dataverse/swamp-soil/).

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition (MAEE) of Ecuador for issuing research permits No. 001-2015-RIC-FLO-DPAP-MA, No. 08-15-IC-FAU-DPAP-MA, and MAAE-ARSFC-2020-1057 for our work at the Cayambe-Coca National Park and Antisana Ecological Reserve and the Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology (LEA-USFQ) for logistical support. We thank the staff at Huascarán National Park for all their support (Permit No PNH-008-2012, RJ No. 11-2015-SERNANP PHN and RJ No. 13-2017-SERNANP-JEF from Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado). We also thank Ellen Beller, Alexander N. Brown, Jonathan Bontrager , Erin Cary (USFS International Programs), Segundo Chimbolema, Michelle Cisz, Ellie Crane, Francisco Cuesta, Aric Devens, Jennifer Eikenberry, Christa M. Luokkala, Austin Meyer, Priscilla Muriel, Manuel Peralvo, Lynette Potvin, José Scherekinger, Karena Schmidt, Beth Spedowski, María Elisa Sánchez, Andrea Vega, Tim Veverica, and field crews for helping us collect data and reviewers for improving the quality of the manuscript. The Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) provided valuable coordination for site visits in Colombia. We thank Don Aurelio for graciously permitting access to the pastures of Manasaya in Bolivia. Radiocarbon analysis was supported by the Radiocarbon Collaborative, which is jointly sponsored by the USDA Forest Service, the W.M. Keck Carbon Cycle Accelerator Mass Spectrometer Facility at University of California, Irvine, and Michigan Technological University (MTU). The study area map was prepared by José Daza.

Funding

This work was supported by the Sustainable Wetlands Adaptation and Mitigation Program (SWAMP) and the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station. E. Suarez received support from PREPA grants from Universidad San Francisco de Quito. David Cooper, Jeremy Sueltenfuss, and Evan Wolf provided support and research assistance in Boliva that was funded in part by NASA’s Land Cover and Use Change program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Forest Resources and Environmental Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA

    John A. Hribljan, Moira Hough, Ana Maria Planas-Clarke & Rodney A. Chimner

  2. Department of Biology, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA

    John A. Hribljan

  3. Climate, Fire and Carbon Cycle Sciences Unit, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Houghton, MI, USA

    Erik A. Lilleskov & Katherine Heckman

  4. Instituto Biósfera USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador

    Esteban Suarez

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  1. John A. Hribljan
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Hribljan, J.A., Hough, M., Lilleskov, E.A. et al. Elevation and temperature are strong predictors of long-term carbon accumulation across tropical Andean mountain peatlands. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 29, 1 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-023-10089-y

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