Peatland Microbiology

Abstract

Peat contains a high proportion of dead organic matter, mainly plants, accumulated over thousands of years. Peatlands cover about 5–8% of the world's surface. Peatlands are important wetland areas maintaining supplies of clean water to rivers and acting as a carbon sink. Peatlands may contain 3–3.5 times the amount of carbon stored in tropical rain forests and act as an ancient habitat containing many rare and threatened species. As such, they are an unparalleled record of our past.