Why are Estonia's bogs so important?
A major part of the classic Estonian landscape is its bogs and meers, an ecosystem which even has global significance, according to Tallinn University (TLÜ) researcher Martin Küttim.
In a short video lecture Küttim gave for ERR's Novaator portal, he noted how Estonia is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of bogland, which has largely been left intact and not extensively drained as in some other more densely populated parts of Europe.
The high water table means that peat mosses, sedges, and other bog-growing plants do not fully decompose at the end of their life cycle.
Down the millennia, this has resulted in the formation of gigantic carbon and freshwater reservoirs, in the form of peat layers.
Bogs are important for their biodiversity, too; some of which is invisible to the naked eye and hence little studied or known about.
Each peat-forming sphagnum moss, as well as the peat itself, contains millions of tiny microbes—bacteria, algae, protists, and other living organisms—connected by complex food chains.
Although they are mostly microscopic, they play a crucial role in the bog ecosystems, contributing to both the formation and decomposition of peat.
Other tiny organisms, such as diatoms, photosynthesize similar to plants, binding carbon from the air.
In bogs, the carbon bound by these organisms can account for nearly a tenth of all carbon bound by peat mosses. On the other hand, peat itself does not decompose in the presence of oxygen; instead, microbes that decompose organic matter "bite" long complex carbon compounds into smaller ones. In fact without this phenomenon, the carbon cycle in bogs would not be possible.
During the formation of peat, readily degradable compounds such as cellulose and hemicellulose are broken down from the mass of dead plants, while more difficult to decompose compounds (such as lignins) can remain within the composition of peat for decades or even centuries, even when exposed to air.
Since the species makeup of microbial communities depends on climate, water availability, and vegetation, both climate change and land use can significantly affect how microbial food chains and the nutrient cycles crucial to ecosystems function.
For this reason, our "invisible" biodiversity requires even more attention than before.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
