SPHAGNUM MACROSTRUCTURE AS AN INDICATOR OF DECAY AND COMPACTION IN PEAT CORES FROM AN OMBROTROPHIC SOUTH SWEDISH PEAT-BOG

Decay and compaction can be determined from a quantified analysis of macrostructure of Sphagnum peat in short cores from ombrotrophic peat-bogs. Because the stems of Sphagnum fuscum were intact to a depth of 30 cm, compaction of peat in this region can be determined from the increase in the cumulative length of S. fuscum stems per unit peat volume with depth. A comparison of measured bulk density for each depth in two S. fuscum hummock cores and that predicted from compaction data for the corresponding depth showed that decay in the hummock profile took place in three phases: an initial slow decay in the top few cm, a relatively rapid decay from about 5-15 cm, and a final slow decay from about 15 to 30 cm. -from Authors