Sphagnum’s impact on global carbon cycling and climate is estimated to be larger than any other single plant genus. Researchers estimate a quarter of the world’s terrestrial carbon is stored in peatlands, which make up nearly 3 percent of the earth’s land surface. Through two separate proposals enabled by the JGI’s Community Science Program (CSP), researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and at the University of Vienna are developing a number of resources to build up Sphagnum as a plant model system focused on carbon cycling studies. Learn more on the JGI’s website.
