摘要：Although recent studies have recognized Northern Eurasian ecosystems as an important
carbon reservoir, little is known about the forest–peatland interactions in a boreal
environment induced by ongoing climatic changes. This study focuses on the evaluation of
both the long-term and contemporary trends of land-cover changes and rates of lateral
extension of peat-accumulating wetlands toward the adjacent forests, estimated
at the southern climatic range of the Sphagnum-dominated mires in Western
Siberia. We used the radiocarbon dates and stratigraphy of peat sediments from
seven peat cores, analyzed at two types of forest–peatland ecotones, which are
located close to each other but differ by topography and composition of their plant
communities. The rate of lateral extension was found in a wide range varying from 2.3 to
791.7 cm yr−1. It was observed to be rapid during the initial stage of mire development, but to have
slowed down over the last 2000–3000 yr. Our results, therefore, strongly contradict the
concept of progressive peat accumulation throughout the late Holocene and contribute to
our knowledge about ongoing land-cover change in the natural ecosystems of the Northern
hemisphere.
