Climatic and topographic limits to the abundance of bog pools

On patterned peatlands, open water pools develop within a matrix of terrestrial vegetation (‘ridges’). Regional patterns in the distribution of ridge–pool complexes suggest that the relative cover of these two surface types is controlled in part by climate wetness, but landscape topography must also be an important controlling factor. In this paper, a functional model that relates relative cover of ridges and pools to climate and surface gradient was developed and tested. The model was formulated in terms of a water budget, based on the differential effects of ridges and pools on losses by evapotranspiration and subsurface flow. It predicts a positive relationship between surface gradient and ridge proportion, with a linear effect related to water supply and ridge hydraulic conductivity, modified at high ridge proportion by differences in evapotranspiration between ridges and pools. The limit to patterned peatland distribution occurs where the surface is completely covered by ridges. The model may be sensitive or insensitive to climate differences between localities, depending on whether hydraulic characteristics of ridge peat co‐vary with water supply. To distinguish between these alternative hypotheses, surface gradient and ridge proportion were surveyed along 20 transects in each of three localities in Scotland that differ threefold in net precipitation to pools. The results of the field survey served to reject the climate‐sensitive hypothesis, but were consistent with the climate‐insensitive hypothesis. Analysis of the residuals suggested that variation within localities was related more to topographic control of water supply than to ridge hydraulic conductivity or developmental stage. Hence, within this maritime climate region, the distribution of ridge–pool complexes and the relative abundance of pools are controlled mainly by topographic variables. Field surveys across both maritime and continental regions are required to confirm a subtle climatic effect that allows pools to occur on higher gradients in drier climates than in wetter climates. Further development and testing of the functional model will provide a stronger basis for assessing potential feedback between climate change, peatland surface structure and methane emission from pools. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.