Sphagnum-metabolite turnover and its influence 
on peatland C dynamics

Vincent Jassey,
CNRS, université de Toulouse, France

In peatland ecosystems, Sphagnum communities mediate a globally significant carbon store, likely driven by a combination of recalcitrant organic-compound (e.g. polyphenols) production and the release of metabolites that hamper microbial activity in the soil.The effects of climate changes on plant assemblages are expected to determine how ecosystem functions such as carbon uptake and sequestration will respond.

In this seminar, I will present the results from different strands of studies focussing on the relationships between Sphagnum species composition, their metabolomic composition, microbial diversity, food web structure and functions, as well as climatic drivers such as temperature and precipitation.

My overarching goal is to provide evidence for general patterns in species taxonomic, functional and metabolomic turnover along environmental gradients, and help to improve our understanding of the linkages among community assembly properties in a changing climate.