Table S1. Peat Chemistry
Kvilda / GLM / Filipova / GLM / Tetrevska / GLMSphagnum / Cotton-grass / Blueberry / Sphagnum / Cotton-grass / Blueberry / Sphagnum / Cotton-grass / Blueberry
Ctot / 45.6a / ± / 0.5 / 44.0a / ± / 0.2 / 46.2a / ± / 0.29 / ns / 38.6a / ± / 1.7 / 44.6b / ± / 0.2 / 46.6b / ± / 0.5 / ** / 47.2a / ± / 1.0 / 46.6a / ± / 0.4 / 47.6a / ± / 0.5 / ns
Ntot / 1.61b / ± / 0.04 / 1.05a / ± / 0.06 / 1.62b / ± / 0.05 / *** / 1.43b / ± / 0.08 / 1.01a / ± / 0.08 / 1.61b / ± / 0.06 / *** / 1.85b / ± / 0.11 / 1.31a / ± / 0.09 / 1.56ab / ± / 0.05 / ***
Ptot / 0.08b / ± / 0.003 / 0.06a / ± / 0.004 / 0.08b / ± / 0.004 / ** / 0.11b / ± / 0.005 / 0.05a / ± / 0.002 / 0.08b / ± / 0.007 / *** / 0.08a / ± / 0.01 / 0.05a / ± / 0.00 / 0.07a / ± / 0.01 / *
C:N / 28.2a / ± / 0.9 / 46.5b / ± / 3.6 / 27.8a / ± / 1.04 / *** / 24.9a / ± / 0.44 / 47.3b / ± / 2.6 / 29.0a / ± / 1.3 / *** / 22.0a / ± / 0.5 / 38.9c / ± / 2.4 / 30.9b / ± / 1.6 / ***
C:P / 1545ab / ± / 87 / 1948a / ± / 118 / 1470b / ± / 84 / ** / 976a / ± / 71 / 2400b / ± / 123 / 1532ab / ± / 106 / *** / 1885a / ± / 360 / 2330a / ± / 91 / 1827a / ± / 142 / ns
N:P / 46.6a / ± / 2.8 / 38.5b / ± / 1.5 / 43.7ab / ± / 2.0 / *** / 40.3a / ± / 1.5 / 44.8a / ± / 1.5 / 44.1a / ± / 2.1 / ns / 56.1a / ± / 5.2 / 54.7a / ± / 2.3 / 50.3a / ± / 3.3 / ns
pH / 4.08a / ± / 0.03 / 4.08a / ± / 0.03 / 3.92b / ± / 0.04 / ** / 4.49a / ± / 0.09 / 4.10ab / ± / 0.04 / 3.93b / ± / 0.18 / *** / 4.3c / ± / 0.3 / 3.8a / ± / 0.2 / 4.0b / ± / 0.3 / ***
ns nonsignificant
* p<0.05
** p<0.01
*** p<0.001
Average concentrations of C, N and P (%), their molar stoichiometric ratios and pH of the peat formed in patches covered only by Sphagnum or affected by the presence of cotton-grass or blueberry in three spruce swamp forest sites. Peat cores were sampled in May, June and September 2013 and 2014 (Mean, standard error of the mean SEM, n=72). Results of GLM on the effect of plant dominants are shown. Lower case letters show differences among peat characteristics formed in the presence of different plant dominants (p<0.05).
Table S2. Soil Solution Chemistry
Kvilda / GLM / Filipova / GLM / Tetrevska / GLMSphagnum / Cotton-grass / Blueberry / Sphagnum / Cotton-grass / Blueberry / Sphagnum / Cotton-grass / Blueberry
DOC / 76.0ab / ± / 12.7 / 58.2a / ± / 4.0 / 90.3b / ± / 9.8 / * / 49.4a / ± / 4.2 / 73.4b / ± / 8.0 / 75.0b / ± / 7.6 / * / 74.2a / ± / 9.1 / 87.0a / ± / 12.4 / 111.7a / ± / 15.7 / ns
SN / 2.10b / ± / 0.26 / 1.50a / ± / 0.12 / 1.37a / ± / 0.10 / ns / 1.34a / ± / 0.11 / 1.35a / ± / 0.19 / 1.61a / ± / 0.16 / ns / 2.32a / ± / 0.34 / 1.89a / ± / 0.16 / 2.35a / ± / 0.36 / ns
SP / 0.27a / ± / 0.03 / 0.25a / ± / 0.04 / 0.24a / ± / 0.02 / ns / 0.13a / ± / 0.01 / 0.17ab / ± / 0.03 / 0.23b / ± / 0.04 / * / 0.46ab / ± / 0.09 / 0.28a / ± / 0.03 / 1.04b / ± / 0.3 / *
C:N / 55.5a / ± / 8.0 / 50.3a / ± / 3.8 / 79.2b / ± / 6.9 / * / 55.2a / ± / 10.3 / 94.8a / ± / 15.5 / 70.9a / ± / 13.8 / ns / 43.2a / ± / 4.4 / 58.2ab / ± / 7.7 / 83.2b / ± / 17.6 / *
C:P / 791a / ± / 68 / 858a / ± / 92 / 1057a / ± / 103 / ns / 1225a / ± / 173 / 1561a / ± / 265 / 1148a / ± / 172 / ns / 650ab / ± / 72 / 952b / ± / 114 / 584a / ± / 82 / *
N:P / 19.2a / ± / 2.3 / 20.8a / ± / 3.3 / 14.8a / ± / 1.6 / ns / 25.7a / ± / 1.9 / 20.7a / ± / 2.9 / 19.3a / ± / 1.7 / ns / 19.5a / ± / 3.2 / 20.3a / ± / 2.8 / 10.8a / ± / 1.8 / ns
NH4 / 0.52b / ± / 0.09 / 0.15a / ± / 0.02 / 0.21a / ± / 0.03 / *** / 0.40b / ± / 0.07 / 0.13a / ± / 0.01 / 0.17a / ± / 0.02 / *** / 0.86c / ± / 0.12 / 0.18a / ± / 0.03 / 0.40b / ± / 0.06 / ***
NO3 / 0.10a / ± / 0.02 / 0.08a / ± / 0.01 / 0.14a / ± / 0.03 / ns / 0.07a / ± / 0.00 / 0.08a / ± / 0.01 / 0.20a / ± / 0.08 / ns / 0.11a / ± / 0.02 / 0.13a / ± / 0.02 / 0.17a / ± / 0.03 / ns
SRP / 0.14a / ± / 0.02 / 0.11a / ± / 0.03 / 0.09a / ± / 0.01 / ns / 0.03a / ± / 0.00 / 0.08a / ± / 0.02 / 0.08a / ± / 0.02 / ns / 0.32ab / ± / 0.09 / 0.14a / ± / 0.03 / 0.64b / ± / 0.25 / *
ns nonsignificant
* p<0.05
** p<0.01
*** p<0.001
Average concentrations of dissolved organic C (DOC; mg l–1), soluble N (SN; mg l–1) and P (SP; μg l–1), their molar stoichiometric ratios, concentrations of mineral N forms (N-NH4, N-NO3; mg l–1) and soluble reactive P (SRP, μg l–1) in the soil solution extracted from peat cores from patches covered by Sphagnum and affected by the presence of cotton-grass or blueberry in three spruce swamp forest sites. Peat cores were sampled in May, June and September 2013 and 2014 in the three spruce swamp forest sites. (Mean, standard error of the mean SEM, n=72). Results of GLM on the effect of plant dominants are shown. Lower case letters show differences among solution characteristics in the presence of different plant dominants (p<0.05).
Table S3. Microbial Biomass
Kvilda / GLM / Filipova / GLM / Tetrevska / GLMSphagnum / Cotton-grass / Blueberry / Sphagnum / Cotton-grass / Blueberry / Sphagnum / Cotton-grass / Blueberry
MB-C / 3272a / ± / 405 / 4602ab / ± / 422 / 5876b / ± / 719 / ** / 4080a / ± / 734 / 3634a / ± / 391 / 4087a / ± / 368 / ns / 2215a / ± / 400 / 2559a / ± / 331 / 3163a / ± / 494 / ns
MB-N / 206.3a / ± / 24.8 / 279.2a / ± / 48.7 / 420.9b / ± / 45.8 / ** / 289.5a / ± / 51.0 / 245.7a / ± / 43.8 / 370.8a / ± / 53.9 / ns / 325.1a / ± / 48.2 / 380.9a / ± / 66.5 / 583.8a / ± / 89.7 / ns
MB-P / 117.1a / ± / 13.3 / 193.6b / ± / 26.3 / 187.2b / ± / 21.1 / ** / 137.8a / ± / 17.1 / 150.4ab / ± / 17.4 / 217.7b / ± / 29.0 / * / 112.2a / ± / 21.3 / 102.2a / ± / 14.3 / 191.5b / ± / 24.5 / **
C:N / 18.92a / ± / 1.24 / 31.12b / ± / 4.80 / 17.69a / ± / 1.68 / ** / 23.03a / ± / 4.46 / 25.89a / ± / 5.62 / 18.44a / ± / 2.55 / ns / 9.50a / ± / 1.24 / 13.52a / ± / 3.24 / 9.98a / ± / 3.38 / ns
C:P / 118.16a / ± / 37.36 / 146.90a / ± / 33.20 / 93.88a / ± / 15.00 / ns / 83.00a / ± / 17.20 / 73.73a / ± / 10.50 / 62.96a / ± / 7.80 / ns / 54.41a / ± / 14.50 / 68.80a / ± / 9.74 / 49.51a / ± / 7.55 / ns
N:P / 5.75a / ± / 1.52 / 6.79a / ± / 2.49 / 5.90a / ± / 1.02 / ns / 5.32a / ± / 1.08 / 4.05a / ± / 0.64 / 4.34a / ± / 0.59 / ns / 19.77a / ± / 8.55 / 8.48a / ± / 1.24 / 8.45a / ± / 1.41 / ns
MB-C/Ctot / 0.72a / ± / 0.08 / 1.04ab / ± / 0.09 / 1.27b / ± / 0.15 / ** / 1.04a / ± / 0.18 / 0.81a / ± / 0.08 / 0.88a / ± / 0.08 / ns / 0.47a / ± / 0.08 / 0.55a / ± / 0.07 / 0.66a / ± / 0.10 / ns
MB-N/Ntot / 1.28a / ± / 0.15 / 2.54b / ± / 0.38 / 2.65b / ± / 0.30 / ** / 2.04a / ± / 0.36 / 2.50a / ± / 0.46 / 2.44a / ± / 0.40 / ns / 1.76a / ± / 0.26 / 2.91a / ± / 0.51 / 3.75b / ± / 0.58 / *
MB-P/Ptot / 15.12a / ± / 1.64 / 32.11b / ± / 4.64 / 23.19ab / ± / 2.38 / ** / 13.44a / ± / 1.73 / 31.67b / ± / 3.95 / 29.39b / ± / 4.80 / ** / 13.6a / ± / 2.60 / 19.4a / ± / 2.71 / 26.6b / ± / 3.41 / ns
Microb. respiration aerobic / 9.05b / ± / 0.68 / 11.56c / ± / 0.79 / 5.60a / ± / 0.35 / *** / 7.27a / ± / 1.02 / 6.96a / ± / 0.45 / 6.81a / ± / 0.64 / ns / 7.03a / ± / 0.72 / 6.41a / ± / 0.51 / 5.65a / ± / 0.59 / ns
Microb. respiration anaerobic / 1.48ab / ± / 0.19 / 1.59b / ± / 0.30 / 0.91a / ± / 0.11 / * / 1.41a / ± / 0.30 / 1.25a / ± / 0.15 / 1.27a / ± / 0.16 / ns / 1.06a / ± / 0.13 / 0.81a / ± / 0.14 / 1.31a / ± / 0.18 / ns
Sum of enzymatic activity / 969.5a / ± / 174.7 / 839.0a / ± / 52.8 / 1009.0a / ± / 134.5 / ns / 1184.7b / ± / 122.8 / 911.3ab / ± / 106.3 / 744.6a / ± / 116.1 / * / 645.0a / ± / 87.5 / 512.0a / ± / 37.1 / 846.0a / ± / 120.9 / ns
% C-enzymes / 14.9a / ± / 1.7 / 10.9a / ± / 0.7 / 15.2a / ± / 2.3 / ns / 15.2a / ± / 2.4 / 14.2a / ± / 1.6 / 21.5a / ± / 3.1 / ns / 13.5a / ± / 1.2 / 13.2a / ± / 1.1 / 17.6b / ± / 2.7 / **
% N-enzymes / 1.7a / ± / 0.4 / 2.5a / ± / 0.4 / 1.9a / ± / 0.2 / ns / 3.1a / ± / 0.5 / 4.2a / ± / 0.4 / 3.0a / ± / 0.5 / ns / 2.6a / ± / 0.7 / 4.0ab / ± / 0.8 / 5.5b / ± / 0.8 / *
% P-enzymes / 83.4a / ± / 1.8 / 86.6a / ± / 1.0 / 82.9a / ± / 2.4 / ns / 81.7b / ± / 2.7 / 81.5b / ± / 1.8 / 75.5a / ± / 3.3 / * / 83.9b / ± / 1.5 / 82.8b / ± / 1.8 / 77.0a / ± / 1.4 / **
ns nonsignificant
* p<0.05
** p<0.01
*** p<0.001
C, N and P (MB-C, MB-N, MB-P; mg g–1) and their molar stoichiometric ratios, proportions of peat C, N, and P bound in the microbial biomass (%), microbial respiration in aerobic and anaerobic conditions (ml CO2 g-1 h–1) and the sum of hydrolytic enzymatic activity and proportions of C, N and P-gaining enzymatic activities in the peat formed in patches covered only by Sphagnum or affected by the presence of cotton-grass or blueberry in the three spruce swamp forest sites. Peat cores were sampled in May, June and September 2013 and 2014 in the three spruce swamp forest sites. (Mean, standard error of the mean SEM, n=72). Results of GLM on the effect of plant dominants are shown. Lower case letters show differences among peat characteristics formed in the presence of different plant dominants.