Water level regulates the rhizosphere priming effect on SOM decomposition of peatland soil

Abstract The rhizosphere priming effect (RPE) is vital in soil organic matter turnover，but its role in peatlands remains unclear, especially when considering different water levels. In this study, we measured the CO2 emission rate from rhizosphere and bulk soil of peatland at different water levels, together with isotope of 13C, to evaluate the RPE in peatland. Results showed that the decomposition of SOM was significantly affect by RPE, and the RPE varied significantly among water levels (p