ELEMENTAL DYNAMICS IN FORESTED BOGS IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA

Dynamics of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) were determined for three perched bogs, formed by lake filling, and three raised bogs, formed by landscape swamping. N and K concentrations were higher in the undergrowth of perched bogs, and Ca and Mg concentrations were higher in subsurface anaerobic peat of raised bogs. Elemental pools in vegetation were in the order N > Ca > K > Mg > P; in surface peat, N > Ca > Mg > P = K. Differences in elemental mass between the bog types were closely related to biomass differences. The atmosphere potentially supplied from 3% of annual plant uptake of K to 20% of Mg; this fraction was inversely related to uptake as a proportion of the surface peat. Vegetation on raised bogs had a greater proportion of uptake from the atmosphere (15 vs. 12%), a faster rate of elemental turnover (3.8 vs. 4.8 years), and lower net primary productivity (NPP) than on perched bogs, all indicative of a lower nutrient status. The annual mineralization rate of the surface peat for both bog types was estimated at 1.5% year-1; NPP predicted from N mineralized at this rate agrees well with observations. The better nutritional status of perched bogs may be related to landscape position, with potential inputs via runoff from adjacent uplands. The nutrient capital in both bog vegetation and substrate was similar to that in upland northern conifer forests.