Effects of road dust on vegetation composition and surface chemistry of three ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern Canada
Dust deposition can fertilize nutrient-limited peatlands and affect their plant assemblages and ecosystem functions, but the effects of local road dust on peatlands have seldom been studied. Here, we investigate the responses of vegetation composition and surface chemistry (vegetation, surface peat,...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Geoderma |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706123003427 |
| _version_ | 1797634006407184384 |
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| author | Xiaoyu Li Julie Talbot James King Meng Wang |
| author_facet | Xiaoyu Li Julie Talbot James King Meng Wang |
| author_sort | Xiaoyu Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dust deposition can fertilize nutrient-limited peatlands and affect their plant assemblages and ecosystem functions, but the effects of local road dust on peatlands have seldom been studied. Here, we investigate the responses of vegetation composition and surface chemistry (vegetation, surface peat, and groundwater chemistry) at three ombrotrophic peatlands: Rivière-au-Tonnerre (RT), Chemin de l'Anse-de-la-Grande-Pointe (GP), and Kegaska (KEG) in eastern Québec, Canada, to varying levels of road dust deposition with differential chemical composition. At each site, a transect aligned with the dominant wind direction, starting at and perpendicular to the roadside, was sampled at increasing intervals up to 250 m away from the gravel (unpaved) road. We find that the ash content of surface peat is highest closest to the roads at all three sites and decreases exponentially with increasing distance up to 200 m away from the roads. At KEG, with the highest amount of, and the most phosphorus (P) rich, road dust deposition, the ash content is highest among the three sites, decreasing most rapidly with distance away from the road. The stoichiometric mass ratios of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and P, i.e., C:N, C:P, and N:P, in foliar tissues and surface peat increase significantly with distance away from the road at KEG, and mosses are found to be more responsive in terms of foliar chemistry than shrubs to the road dust deposition. A higher concentration of total dissolved phosphorus at KEG is found closer to the road. At GP, having a moderate amount of road dust deposition, significant increases in C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios with distance are found only in surface peat but not in foliar tissues. Due to the presence of carbonate minerals in the road dust of GP, the calcium (Ca) concentration and pH value of groundwater closer to the road are higher, leading to an obvious loss of vegetation coverage, especially mosses, and a consequent increase in NO3− leaching. In contrast, at RT, having the lowest amount of road dust deposition, only a few clear variation patterns in surface chemistry are found along the sampling transect. Overall, our results suggest that dust from gravel roads can be an important localized source of nutrients for adjacent peatlands and influence their vegetation composition and surface chemistry, depending on the amount of road dust and its chemical composition, especially its contents in Ca and P. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:01:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7c9735eef10244388c2e73e1c135fc24 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1872-6259 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:01:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geoderma |
| spelling | doaj.art-7c9735eef10244388c2e73e1c135fc242023-11-08T04:08:42ZengElsevierGeoderma1872-62592023-11-01439116665Effects of road dust on vegetation composition and surface chemistry of three ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern CanadaXiaoyu Li0Julie Talbot1James King2Meng Wang3Département de Géographie, Université de Montréal, 1375 Avenue Thérèse-Lavoie-Roux, Montréal, QC H2V 0B3, Canada; Corresponding author.Département de Géographie, Université de Montréal, 1375 Avenue Thérèse-Lavoie-Roux, Montréal, QC H2V 0B3, CanadaDépartement de Géographie, Université de Montréal, 1375 Avenue Thérèse-Lavoie-Roux, Montréal, QC H2V 0B3, CanadaKey Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Institute for Peat and Mire Research, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, ChinaDust deposition can fertilize nutrient-limited peatlands and affect their plant assemblages and ecosystem functions, but the effects of local road dust on peatlands have seldom been studied. Here, we investigate the responses of vegetation composition and surface chemistry (vegetation, surface peat, and groundwater chemistry) at three ombrotrophic peatlands: Rivière-au-Tonnerre (RT), Chemin de l'Anse-de-la-Grande-Pointe (GP), and Kegaska (KEG) in eastern Québec, Canada, to varying levels of road dust deposition with differential chemical composition. At each site, a transect aligned with the dominant wind direction, starting at and perpendicular to the roadside, was sampled at increasing intervals up to 250 m away from the gravel (unpaved) road. We find that the ash content of surface peat is highest closest to the roads at all three sites and decreases exponentially with increasing distance up to 200 m away from the roads. At KEG, with the highest amount of, and the most phosphorus (P) rich, road dust deposition, the ash content is highest among the three sites, decreasing most rapidly with distance away from the road. The stoichiometric mass ratios of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and P, i.e., C:N, C:P, and N:P, in foliar tissues and surface peat increase significantly with distance away from the road at KEG, and mosses are found to be more responsive in terms of foliar chemistry than shrubs to the road dust deposition. A higher concentration of total dissolved phosphorus at KEG is found closer to the road. At GP, having a moderate amount of road dust deposition, significant increases in C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios with distance are found only in surface peat but not in foliar tissues. Due to the presence of carbonate minerals in the road dust of GP, the calcium (Ca) concentration and pH value of groundwater closer to the road are higher, leading to an obvious loss of vegetation coverage, especially mosses, and a consequent increase in NO3− leaching. In contrast, at RT, having the lowest amount of road dust deposition, only a few clear variation patterns in surface chemistry are found along the sampling transect. Overall, our results suggest that dust from gravel roads can be an important localized source of nutrients for adjacent peatlands and influence their vegetation composition and surface chemistry, depending on the amount of road dust and its chemical composition, especially its contents in Ca and P.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706123003427Road dustPeatlandsNutrientsVegetation compositionStoichiometry |
| spellingShingle | Xiaoyu Li Julie Talbot James King Meng Wang Effects of road dust on vegetation composition and surface chemistry of three ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern Canada Geoderma Road dust Peatlands Nutrients Vegetation composition Stoichiometry |
| title | Effects of road dust on vegetation composition and surface chemistry of three ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern Canada |
| title_full | Effects of road dust on vegetation composition and surface chemistry of three ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern Canada |
| title_fullStr | Effects of road dust on vegetation composition and surface chemistry of three ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern Canada |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of road dust on vegetation composition and surface chemistry of three ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern Canada |
| title_short | Effects of road dust on vegetation composition and surface chemistry of three ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern Canada |
| title_sort | effects of road dust on vegetation composition and surface chemistry of three ombrotrophic peatlands in eastern canada |
| topic | Road dust Peatlands Nutrients Vegetation composition Stoichiometry |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706123003427 |
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