DOI: 10.5061/dryad.3216c
title: Data from: Peatland vascular plant functional types affect methane dynamics by altering microbial community structure

description: 1. Peatlands are natural sources of atmospheric methane (CH4), an
 important greenhouse gas. It is established that peatland methane dynamics
 are controlled by both biotic and abiotic conditions, yet the interactive
 effect of these drivers is less studied and consequently poorly
 understood. 2. Climate change affects the distribution of vascular plant
 functional types (PFTs) in peatlands. By removing specific PFTs, we
 assessed their effects on peat organic matter chemistry, microbial
 community composition and on potential methane production (PMP) and
 oxidation (PMO) in two microhabitats (lawns and hummocks). 3. Whilst PFT
 removal only marginally altered the peat organic matter chemistry, we
 observed considerable changes in microbial community structure. This
 resulted in altered PMP and PMO. PMP was slightly lower when graminoids
 were removed, whilst PMO was highest in the absence of both vascular PFTs
 (graminoids and ericoids), but only in the hummocks. 4. Path analyses
 demonstrate that different plant–soil interactions drive PMP and PMO in
 peatlands and that changes in biotic and abiotic factors can have
 auto-amplifying effects on current CH4 dynamics. 5. Synthesis. Changing
 environmental conditions will, both directly and indirectly, affect
 peatland processes, causing unforeseen changes in CH4 dynamics. The
 resilience of peatland CH4 dynamics to environmental change therefore
 depends on the interaction between plant community composition and
 microbial communities.
description: Microbial PFLA
 dataIn early June 2011, 48
 experimental plots (50 × 50 cm) were established in lawn (n = 24) and
 hummock microhabitats (n = 24) in a Sphagnum-dominated ombrotrophic
 peatland in the Store Mosse National Park, Sweden (57°17’54 N, 14°00’39
 E). In both microhabitats, the vascular plant functional type (PFT)
 composition was manipulated by removing (clipping) ericoids (–Eric),
 graminoids (–Gram), or both. A set of control plots remained intact. One
 year later, peat samples (c. 20 g. f. wt) were collected from all plots (n
 =48) at the aerobic/anaerobic boundary (10 – 30 cm below the peat surface,
 microhabitat dependent). Microbial community composition was analysed on
 these samples using phospholipid fatty acid analysis.PFLA_RDA.txtPotential methane oxidation, production, organic matter compositon, gene copies, and environmental dataIn early June 2011, 48 experimental plots (50 × 50 cm) were established in lawn (n = 24) and hummock microhabitats (n = 24) in a Sphagnum-dominated ombrotrophic peatland in the Store Mosse National Park, Sweden (57°17’54 N, 14°00’39 E). In both microhabitats, the vascular plant functional type (PFT) composition was manipulated by removing (clipping) ericoids (–Eric), graminoids (–Gram), or both. A set of control plots remained intact. One year later, peat samples (c. 20 g. f. wt) were collected from all plots (n =48) at the aerobic/anaerobic boundary (10 – 30 cm below the peat surface, microhabitat dependent). These samples were used to measure potential methane production, potential methane oxidation, organic matter chemistry, pmoA gene copies, and environmental data.GLM_SEM.txtEcosystem respirationTo asses the effect of vascular plant removal in aforementioned experiment, one year after the start of the experiment, we measured carbon dioxide respiration rates on 10 cm diameter collars using an automated soil CO2 flux system (LI-8100, LI-COR Biosciences, USA). We compare the fluxes from the vascular plant removal plots with respiration rates from comparable areas in the control plots with little or no vascular plant cover, and assessed the relationship with the amount of removed biomass.Re.txt