Vincent Jassey:
Microbial CO2 fixation in peatlands: Contribution to carbon cycle and response to climate change
31 March 2025
15-16 hrs EET; 14-15 hrs CET
MS Teams link via Peatland Snippets/Peatlands International
Under climate warming, increased microbial carbon emissions could diminish the vast carbon stores held in northern peatlands. However, this loss of carbon to the atmosphere could be offset by an increase in peatland carbon uptake. In particular, the photosynthetic activity of microorganisms is now recognised as an important contributor to peatland carbon uptake. Yet, the effects of climate warming on microbial photosynthesis remain poorly understood.
To address this knowledge gap, we set up a study that integrates a field experiment with spatial modelling to quantify the response of microbial photosynthesis to climate warming at the northern peatland scale and generate estimates of potential annual gains in microbial carbon uptake across northern peatlands under future climatic conditions.
In this seminar, I will present the findings of this study, showing the potential of microbial CO2 fixation to mitigate climate change in peatlands. I will further introduce new results on other and overlooked microbial CO2 fixation pathway, such as chemoautotrophy, and show their potential in peatland C cycling.
Vincent Jassey
CNRS Researcher
CRBE — Centre de Recherche pour la Biodiversité et l’Environnement
Campus Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse
http://vjasseyecology.wordpress.com
