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The Holocene
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Characterizing carbon isotopic variability in Sphagnum

N.J. Loader

Department of Geography, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK, n.j.loader{at}swansea.ac.uk

D. McCarroll

Department of Geography, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK

W.O. van der Knaap

Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland

I. Robertson

Department of Geography, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK

M. Gagen

Department of Geography, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK

To understand more fully the nature of isotopic fractionation in mosses and to explore the potential of stable isotope analyses of selected peat constituents for palaeoenvironmental research, we present results from a study of inter- and intra-plant {delta}13C variability in Sphagnum spp. Subdivisions of stem, pendant and horizontal branch elements of modern Sphagnum capillifolium plants revealed consistent and statistically significant differences in their isotopic composition. Sequential (downstem) analysis of a further cohort of four modern Sphagnum capillifolium plants also reveals evidence of common forcing on the isotopic composition of sequentially formed stem and branch increments. This relationship was tested further by analysis of a series of branch and stem samples manually recovered from Sphagnum fuscum preserved within a late Holocene (AD 2003—1970) peat monolith from a European mire. The high degree of isotopic coherence observed between plants supports the analysis of Sphagnum in palaeoecological investigations. However inter- and intra-plant variability between both branch and stem sections emphasize the need for representative sampling, replication and sample homogeneity when conducting palaeoecological studies.

Key Words: Palaeoclimate • palaeoecology • stable carbon isotope • Sphagnum • isotopic fractionation • peat • late Holocene.

The Holocene, Vol. 17, No. 3, 403-410 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0959683607076474
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