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Patel – The Role of Cushion Plants in Carbon Dynamics of Tropical Alpine Peatlands: Insights from Ecuadorian Paŕamos

 

The Role of Cushion Plants in Carbon Dynamics of Tropical Alpine Peatlands: Insights from Ecuadorian Paŕamos (2024)

Undergraduate: Shreeya Patel


Faculty Advisor: Diego Riveros-Iregui
Department: Geography and Environment

Names: Shreeya Patel, Chloe Hall, Martina Bautista Zapata, Naia Andrade Hoeneisen, Kriddie Whitmore, Professor Esteban Suárez & Professor Diego Riveros-Iregui_x000D_
Affiliations/Department/Major: Department of Geography and Environment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill_x000D_
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Project Title: The Role of Cushion Plants in Carbon Dynamics of Tropical Alpine Peatlands: Insights from Ecuadorian Paŕamos_x000D_
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Abstract: _x000D_
Tropical alpine ecosystems in the Andean mountain range of Ecuador, known as paŕamos, are crucial for their ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, water quality maintenance, and biodiversity conservation. Peatlands, featuring high carbon concentrations, are prominent in these paŕamos, serving as significant carbon reservoirs. Among the key peat-forming species is the plantago rigida, a cushion plant, that creates unique microenvironments which shape the peatland’s ecological succession. However, the relationship between cushion plants and peatland carbon dynamics remains poorly understood. In this research study, we investigated CO2 and CH4 fluxes from cushion plants at three different successional stages (from pure plantago rigida to completely overwhelmed plantago rigida) and analyzed their impact on net ecosystem exchange, ecosystem respiration, and gross primary productivity. The results from this research study suggest that as environmental change drives increased plant coverage on cushion plants of the paŕamos, significant alterations in carbon dynamics and storage capacity seem likely. This research sheds light on the influential role of cushion plants in shaping the carbon dynamics of paŕamo ecosystems, especially as a plant species that facilitates other plant species’ growth.