Impact of severe drought on biogenic volatile organic compounds emissions from Sphagnum mosses in boreal peatlands

Climate change and the associated increased frequency of extreme weather events are likely to alter the emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) from boreal peatlands. Hydrologically sensitive Sphagnum mosses are keystone species in boreal peatland ecosystems that are known to emit various BVOCs. However, it is not known how their emissions respond to seasonal droughts. In this study, we quantified the effect of severe drought, and subsequent recovery, on the BVOC emissions from Sphagnum mosses using mesocosms originating from wet open and naturally drier treed boreal fens and bogs. Here we report the emissions of 30 detected BVOCs, of which isoprene was the most abundant with an average flux rate of 5.6 μg m