Climate warming is causing permafrost peatlands to thaw, which has important implications for carbon cycling in these ecosystems. We used a permafrost thaw gradient and experimental warming to study the effects of permafrost thaw and warming on ecosystem carbon fluxes. Permafrost thaw induces large changes in plant community composition and functional traits. Different plant communities have distinct ecosystem carbon fluxes, and experimental warming enhances soil and ecosystem respiration for palsa and thaw slump vegetation types.
* Preliminary results