Decomposition of cellulose in litter layer and surface peat of low‐shrub pine bogs

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Abstract
Microbial activity was measured using cellulose sheets on two geographically separated sites, one in Trøgstad, SE‐Norway, and the other near Joensuu, SE‐Finland, to study effects of climate, drainage, and fertilization. The biggest weight losses from the cellulose sheets were recorded under the litter layer and in the upper 5 cm peat layer. The weight loss for these layers in, e.g. 1987/88 (1 June‐31 May), ranged from 64–74% on the Trøgstad site and from 64–82 % on the Joensuu site. The Joensuu data were to some extent explained by the variation in precipitation and air temperature, while the effects of the drainage in 1984 probably covered such effects on the Trøgstad site. The cellulose decomposition rate was high during winter‐spring periods (16 October‐31 May), about the same percentage as in the summer‐autumn periods (1 June‐15 October). A strong fertilization response was found in the microbiological activity, resulting in a 10 cm‐downward shift in the depth for measureable weight loss from the cellulose sheets. Judged from cellulose decomposition, the aerobic limit on the Trøgstad site was at depth‐interval 15–30 cm, and on the Joensuu site at 20–40 cm. The aerobic limit was probably 15–20 cm deeper in hummocks than in hollows.