##  [Will Climate Change Cause the Global Peatland to Expand or Contract? Evidence from the Habitat Shift Pattern of Sphagnum Mosses](/resource/will-climate-change-cause-global-peatland-expand-or-contract-evidence-habitat-shift) 

Organization

[East China Normal University](/organization/east-china-normal-university)

[Ministry of Natural Resources China](/organization/ministry-natural-resources-china)

 

 

Resource Type

[Peer reviewed article](/taxonomy/term/37)

 

 

Author(s)

Xiao-Ying Ma

Hao Xu

Zi-Yin Cao

Lei Shu

Rui-Liang Zhu

 

 

Original Authors

Xiao-Ying Ma

Hao Xu

Zi-Yin Cao

Lei Shu

Rui-Liang Zhu

 

 

Contacts

[Rui-Liang Zhu](/contact/rui-liang-zhu)

 

 

Resource Date:

July

2022

 

Page Length

14

 

 

*This resource is available on an external database and may require a paid subscription to access it. It is included on the CCLM to support our goal of capturing and sharing the breadth of all available knowledge pertaining to Boreal Caribou, Wetlands, and Land Management.*

Peatlands play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. *Sphagnum* mosses (peat mosses) are considered to be the peatland ecosystem engineers and contribute to the carbon accumulation in the peatland ecosystems. As cold-adapted species, the dominance of *Sphagnum* mosses in peatlands will be threatened by climate warming. The response of *Sphagnum* mosses to climate change is closely related to the future trajectory of carbon fluxes in peatlands. However, the impact of climate change on the habitat suitability of *Sphagnum* mosses on a global scale is poorly understood. To predict the potential impact of climate change on the global distribution of *Sphagnum* mosses, we used the MaxEnt model to predict the potential geographic distribution of six *Sphagnum* species that dominate peatlands in the future (2050 and 2070) under two greenhouse gas emission scenarios (SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5). The results show that the mean temperature of the coldest quarter, precipitation of the driest month, and topsoil calcium carbonate are the main factors affecting the habitat availability of *Sphagnum* mosses. As the climate warms, *Sphagnum* mosses tend to migrate northward. The suitable habitat and abundance of *Sphagnum* mosses increase extensively in the high-latitude boreal peatland (north of 50°N) and decrease on a large scale beyond the high-latitude boreal peatland. The southern edge of boreal peatlands would experience the greatest decline in the suitable habitat and richness of *Sphagnum* mosses with the temperature rising and would be a risk area for the transition from carbon sink to carbon source. The spatial–temporal pattern changes of *Sphagnum* mosses simulated in this study provide a reference for the development of management and conservation strategies for *Sphagnum* bogs.