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ABSTRACT Members of the phylum Planctomycetes are common inhabitants of boreal Sphagnum peat bogs and lichen-dominated tundra wetlands. These bacteria colonize both oxic and anoxic peat layers and reach the population size of 107 cells per gram of wet peat. The 16S rRNA gene sequences from planctomycetes comprise 5%–22% of total 16S rRNA gene reads retrieved from peat samples. Most abundant peat-inhabiting planctomycetes affiliate with the families Isosphaeraceae and Gemmataceae, and with as-yet-uncultured Phycisphaera-related group WD2101. The use of metatranscriptomics to assess the functional role of planctomycetes in peatlands suggested the presence of versatile hydrolytic capabilities in these bacteria. This evidence was further confirmed by the analysis of genome-encoded capabilities of isolates from wetlands. Large (up to 12 Mbp) genomes of planctomycetes encode wide repertoires of carbohydrate-active enzymes including many unclassified putative glycoside hydrolases, which suggests the presence of extremely high glycolytic potential in these bacteria. Experimental tests confirmed their ability to grow on xylan, pectin, starch, lichenan, cellulose, chitin and polysaccharides of microbial origin. These results provide an insight into the ecological roles of peat-inhabiting planctomycetes and suggest their participation in degradation of plant-derived polymers, exoskeletons of peat-inhabiting arthropods as well as exopolysaccharides produced by other bacteria. This mini-review summarizes the currently available knowledge on the abundance, phylogenetic diversity, specific adaptations and potential roles of planctomycetes in peatlands.

The High Andean peatlands are peat-accumulating wetlands dominated by cushion-forming plants and are embedded in a matrix of puna grasslands above 4,000 m. These ecosystems are an essential source of water and evergreen vegetation for wild and domestic animals and are considered sensitive to environmental alterations. We studied the birds' habitat and microhabitat preference in peatlands and their surrounding grasslands in the Cordillera Real, Bolivia. We established 3 parallel transects around 12 peatlands: (1) in pcatland, (2) at 100-200 m from the peatland edge, considered as the transition habitat between peatlands and grasslands, and (3) in puna grasslands at >500 m from the peatland edge. We quantified bird abundance, species richness, and the availability of 8 microhabitats along 36 transects. We recorded 934 individuals of 34 species and found higher bird species richness and abundance in peatlands than in surrounding grasslands and transition habitats. We found that 26% of bird species were exclusive to peatlands. While most bird species common in peatlands were almost nonexistent in other habitats, most species associated with grasslands were also found in proximity to peatlands. A canonical correspondence analysis showed that bird species were associated with one or more microhabitats. The high abundance, bird species richness, and diet types in peatlands is probably related to the high primary productivity of peatlands and year-round availability of water. Degradation of these peatlands may reduce the abundance of regional bird communities, not only peatland specialists but also species in surrounding habitats. Received X February 2021. Accepted 7 December 2021.

Canada's managed boreal forest, 54% of the nation's total boreal forest area, stores 28 Pg carbon (C) in biomass, dead organic matter, and soil pools. The net C balance is dominated by the difference of two large continuous fluxes: C uptake (net primary production) and release during decomposition (heterotrophic respiration). Additional releases of C can be high in years, or in areas, that experience large anthropogenic or natural disturbances. From 1990 to 2008, Canada's managed boreal forest has acted as C sink of 28 Tg C year−1, removing CO2from the atmosphere to replace the 17 Tg of C annually harvested and store an additional 11 Tg of C year−1in ecosystem C pools. A large fraction (57%) of the C harvested since 1990 remains stored in wood products and solid waste disposal sites in Canada and abroad, replacing C emitted from the decay or burning of wood harvested prior to 1990 and contributing to net increases in product and landfill C pools. Wood product use has reduced emissions in other sectors by substituting for emission-intensive products (concrete, steel). The C balance of the unmanaged boreal forest is currently unknown. The future C balance of the Canadian boreal forest will affect the global atmospheric C budget and influence the mitigation efforts required to attain atmosphericCO2stabilization targets. The single biggest threat toCstocks is human-caused climate change. LargeCstocks have accumulated in the boreal because decomposition is limited by cold temperatures and often anoxic environments. Increases in temperatures and disturbance rates could result in a large net C source during the remainder of this century and beyond. Uncertainties about the impacts of global change remain high, but we emphasize the asymmetry of risk: sustained large-scale increases in productivity are unlikely to be of sufficient magnitude to offset higher emissions from increased disturbances and heterotrophic respiration. Reducing the uncertainties of the current and future C balance of Canada's 270 Mha of boreal forest requires addressing gaps in monitoring, observation, and quantification of forest C dynamics, with particular attention to 125 Mha of unmanaged boreal forest with extensive areas of deep organic soils, peatlands, and permafrost containing large quantities of C that are vulnerable to global warming.

Succession has a strong influence on species diversity and composition of terrestrial ecosystems. Peat bogs are among them. They have a large area in Belarus compared to other Central European countries. While in several studies have analyzed the effects of succession on vegetation in peat bog ecosystems, the response of peatland insects to succession has not been investigated yet. To address this issue were sampled Auchenorrhyncha abundance and environmental parameters on the ancient and one of the largest natural peat bog along a successional gradient from the margin to the bog dome. The results provide evidence that succession of peat bogs has influence on planthoppers and leafhoppers abundance, diversity and species composition. Along the successional gradient from younger towards older successional stages an increase abundance of specialized peat bog species, chamebionts, oligophagous and monophagous was observed. On the contrary, the younger stages of natural peat bog succession offer favorable conditions to eurytopic, polyphagous and chortobiont planthoppers and leafhoppers. The highest abundance and species richness of Auchenorrhyncha were in the lagg zone followed by early stages of natural peat bog succession. The highest diversity was in the middle stages of succession. A determinant of Auchenorrhyncha diversity was the cover of ericaceous dwarf shrubs. Linear models shrub cover and number of plants species had a positive effect on planthoppers and leafhoppers diversity and a negative effect on their abundance. Amount of ericaceous dwarf shrubs within the peat bog could be as a measure of heterogeneity.

A bulk coal sample from the Erkovetsky deposit is studied at Amur experimental and engineering facility. Separate fractions of coal combustion products (slag, fly ash, and sludge) are obtained for the first time, in which the morphology, fineness of gold and composition of inclusions have been studied. A consistent decrease in gold size and content is determined after coal combustion, transportation in a gas-smoke stream, and subsequent condensation. A comparative analysis of gold in the combustion products of coal and in ore bodies of the mountain-folded framing of the Zeya-Bureya basin is carried out, the ways of gold migration to peat bogs are considered.

Abstract Changes in organic matter accumulation in wetlands are critical for climate dynamics. Different nitrogen (N) inputs in Sphagnum-dominated peat bogs can lead to varying rates of carbon (C) and N accumulation, influencing greenhouse gas emissions. We investigated how contrasting N deposition shapes microbial communities in two Czech peat bogs, focusing on biological N2 fixation (BNF) as a key N input in pristine wetlands. Higher N deposition resulted in a more active microbial community with increased enzyme activity and C acquisition, potentially accelerating decomposition and reducing C storage. Enhanced denitrification, indicated by active nosZ Clade I genes, suggests that higher N inputs may increase N losses through denitrification. In contrast, the lower N site showed a less active microbial community with slower decomposition, beneficial for C sequestration, though potentially less adaptable to future N increases. Experimental BNF rates were 70 times higher at the high N site, consistent with elevated diazotroph activity indicated by active nifH gene. Phosphorus (P) availability and NH4+/NO3− ratios appeared to drive BNF differences, emphasizing the need for managed N inputs to maintain peatland ecological functions. This study reveals how nitrogen inputs shape peatland microbial dynamics and carbon cycling, showing that increased N deposition fuels microbial activity and nitrogen fixation, potentially tipping peatlands from carbon stores to greenhouse gas sources.

The partitioning patterns and retention turnover of soil organic carbon (SOC) in peat bogs are closely related to vegetation, hydrology and soil factors. Research on SOC partitioning patterns in peat bogs in alpine regions in relation to vegetation and soil factors can contribute to the understanding of carbon sequestration mechanisms in peat bogs. In this paper, the Gahai Wetland of international importance on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was selected as the experimental site. Three inundation gradient sample plots, SI (heavily inundated zone), SII (moderately inundated zone) and SIII (lightly inundated zone), were established along the vertical shoreline of the lake as the starting point to study the distribution characteristics of the SOC content of peat bogs at different profile depths. The results showed that, horizontally, the SOC content in the three inundation gradients were as follows: SI > SII > SIII, vertically, the SOC content was the highest in the surface layer and showed a decreasing trend from the surface layer to the deep layer with increasing soil depth. All soil factors except bulk density and pH showed a decreasing trend and were significantly different (P < 0.05). The results of the path analysis showed that the effect on SOC content was in the order of soil water content > alkaline nitrogen > total nitrogen > bulk weight, indicating that these four soil factors were the dominant factors affecting the variation in SOC content, their combined effect also played a major role in regulating the SOC content ( P  < 0.01).

Alpine peat bogs are valuable, highly heterogeneous wetland ecosystems with specialized and often rare species, where spatial variation in species composition reflects fine-scale hydrological and ecological gradients. They play a key role as natural water and carbon reservoirs and contribute to landscape resilience under climate change, yet are highly vulnerable to drainage, droughts, and chemical changes, leading to vegetation shifts and biodiversity loss. Reliable species-level vegetation monitoring is therefore essential for understanding these dynamics and supporting conservation and management. This study evaluates the potential of UAV-based multispectral imagery combined with machine learning and texture features for species-level vegetation mapping in alpine peat bogs. Two representative peat bogs in the Krkonoše Mountains - the Úpské and Hraniční Meadow Peat Bogs, located within a Ramsar-listed wetland - were surveyed, with high-precision ground-truth data collected for 14 vegetation classes. Four classifiers (Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, XGBoost, and Multi-Layer Perceptron) were compared, and texture features derived from GLCM, GLDM, and GLSZM matrices were systematically assessed. XGBoost achieved the highest accuracy (weighted and macro F1-scores up to 94% and 79% respectively), while ensemble approaches enabled spatial consistency mapping. By jointly evaluating classifiers, texture features, and multi-temporal data, the study provides a comprehensive assessment of factors influencing species-level classification accuracy. Integrating texture features and multi-temporal UAV data significantly improves classification performance and enables detailed mapping of species composition, which serves as an indicator of ecosystem dynamics and associated environmental conditions. The proposed approach supports high-resolution, long-term monitoring of alpine peatland vegetation and improves the detection of fine-scale changes, contributing to more effective conservation and management of these vulnerable ecosystems.

Bog body studies have focused on rich individual biographies, largely neglecting broader spatial and temporal trends. Here, the authors present the first large-scale overview of well-dated human remains from northern European mires, based on a database of 266 sites and more than 1000 bog mummies, bog skeletons and disarticulated/partial skeletal remains. Analysis demonstrates fluctuating depositions of human remains between the Early Neolithic and early modern times, significant and shifting spatial clustering, and variation in site characteristics (e.g. preservation, use frequency, cause of death). The results emphasise previously unrecognised activity phases and highlight issues with categorising motives, especially around ritual violence.

Chrysastrella is a small genus of the Ochromonas-like chrysophytes, taxonomy and phylogenetic placement of which remained unclear. For a long time Chrysastrella was considered a cyst genus, i.e., a morphogenus based on the structure of stomatocysts, the resting stages of chrysophytes. We isolated several new strains of C. paradoxa from the peat bogs in Murmansk Region and the Republic of Komi (Russia) and studied them using light and scanning electron microscopy as well as molecular techniques. We showed that morphological differences between C. paradoxa, C. minor and C. breviappendiculata are within the range of variability of stomatocysts during development. So, we synonymized C. minor and C. breviappendiculata with C. paradoxa. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on SSU rDNA and rbcL sequences revealed that Chrysastrella belongs to the order Chrysosaccales. A new monotypic family, Chrysastrellaceae fam. nov., was formally described to accommodate this genus.