Abstract
Australian alpine peatlands are critically important ecosystems that deliver a range of valuable services. However, our understanding of these services in Australia, particularly peatland carbon cycling, is lacking. Here, we investigated quantified peat soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations, C:N ratios, and C density in eight Sphagnum-dominated peatlands on the Bogong High Plains, southeastern Australia. Soil C and N concentrations averaged 16.5 ± 13.2% and 0.6 ± 0.4%, respectively. C:N ratios averaged 30.9 ± 20.4, and C density averaged 46.6 ± 20.7 mg C cm− 3. Our findings suggest that (1) these peatlands are significant C stores; (2) peat biogeochemistry is highly variable between sites, even at small spatial scales; and (3) while not a direct focus of the study, peat depths in this area were relatively shallow, ranging from 30–60 cm, possibly due to previous disturbance. Additionally, we present preliminary data investigating CO2 and CH4 fluxes at these sites. We recommend that future research includes (1) age dating peat cores to better understand the role of disturbance in peat accumulation and loss; and (2) long-term C flux studies at multiple peatland sites.