## 3 Results
### The Enzyme Activity in Different Soil Horizons and Microsites
Bold and italicized values represent the highest level significant main effect or interaction, upon which further interpretation was based. Figure 2: Specific enzyme activity rates calculated per unit mass of soil organic carbon (SOC) (\(\mu\)mol g SOC\({}^{-1}\) h\({}^{-1}\)) in soils collected from different soil horizons within a natural and managed freshwater forested wetland. Activity of seven enzymes were measured: (**A**) \(\alpha\)-glucosidase (AG), (**B**) \(\beta\)-glucosidase (BG), (**C**) cellobiohydrolase (CBH), (**D**) xylosidase (XYL), (**E**) phenol oxidase (POX), (**F**) peroxidase (PER) and (**G**) N-acetyl glucosamide (NAG). Values are means with standard error (\(n=5\)) and averaged across microstite, depicting the site by horizon interaction found for most enzymes assayed. Lowercase letters represent significant differences (\(p<0.05\)) between each site and horizon when a significant site by soil horizon interaction was found. Uppercase letters represent significant differences between soil horizons when a soil horizon main effect only was found. Figure 3: Specific enzyme activity rates calculated per unit mass of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) (\(\mu\)mol g MBC\({}^{-1}\) h\({}^{-1}\)) in soils collected from different soil horizons within a natural and managed freshwater forested wetland. Activity of seven enzymes were measured: (**A**) \(\alpha\)-glucosidase (AG), (**B**) \(\beta\)-glucosidase (BG), (**C**) cellobiohydrolase (CBH), (**D**) xylosidase (XYL), (**E**) phenol oxidase (POX), (**F**) peroxidase (PER) and (**G**) N-acetyl glucosamide (NAG). Values are means with standard error (\(n=5\)) and averaged across microstite, depicting the site by horizon interaction found for most enzymes assayed. Lowercase letters represent significant differences (\(p<0.05\)) between each site and horizon when a significant site by soil horizon interaction was found. Uppercase letters represent significant differences between soil horizons when a soil horizon main effect only was found. The enzymes AG and BG target breakdown of C compounds with short turnover rates (e.g., glucose). For AG, activity rates were higher in the Oi horizon of the natural compared to the drained wetland regardless of how the data were normalized (Figures 1A, 2A and 3A). For AG normalized by MBC, AG activity was also higher in the Oa layer of the natural wetland compared to the drained wetland (Figure 3A). In the B mineral horizon of the drained wetland, higher AG activity normalized by SOC and MBC was found compared to the natural wetland (Figures 2A and 3A), but much more pronounced for AG activity normalized by MBC with 649% higher activity compared to only 105 % higher activity for AG normalized by SOC. Activity of BG normalized by MBC was higher in the Oi and Oa soil horizons of the natural wetland compared to the drained wetland (Figure 3B). Overall, a small but significant increase in BG activity normalized by SOC and MBC was observed in the AB and/or B mineral soil horizons of both sites (Figures 2B and 3B). The enzymes CBH and XYL target breakdown of C compounds with intermediate turnover rates (e.g., cellulose and hemicellulose). Cellobiohydrolase activity generally decreased with depth (Figures 1C, 2C and 3C), except in the B horizon where CBH activity normalized by SOC and MBC was higher in the drained wetland and similar to that of surface organic horizons excluding the Oi (Figures 2C and 3C). A three-way interaction was found between site, microstite, and horizon for CBH rates normalized by soil weight (Table 2), with CBH activity highest in the low microstite of the drained wetland and lowest in the low microstite of the natural wetland (data not shown). Activity of CBH normalized by SOC was higher in the Oi of the drained wetland (Figure 2C), while CBH activity normalized by MBC was higher in the Oa horizon of the natural wetland (Figure 3C).