Actinobacterial and fungal diversity associated with three South African peatlands

Peatlands are widely recognised to play a key role in mitigating climate change. They serve as carbon sinks and store large quantities of water. However, it has long been recognised that peat has medicinal uses, can be used as potting soil, and in some countries, are burnt for heat generation (to name a few of the applications). Human activities such as the removal of peat and/or the introduction of alien vegetation can destabilise peatlands resulting in a loss of water resources as well as carbon. The aim of this study was to determine whether actinobacterial and fungal community profiles could serve as indicators (biomarkers) of peatland health. To address this, samples were collected from a pristine peatland, an impacted peatland (environmental erosion due to farming and invasive plant species), and a developing peatland, and the microbial community profiles of these sites evaluated in conjunction to the physicochemical properties of each site.