This is the first truly ecosystem-oriented book on peatlands. It adopts an ecosystems approach to understanding the world's boreal peatlands. The focus is on biogeochemical patterns and processes, production, decomposition, and peat accumulation, and it provides additional information on animal and fungal diversity. A recurring theme is the legacy of boreal peatlands as impressive accumulators of carbon as peat over millennia.

Peatlands and the Boreal Forest.- Functional Characteristics and Indicators of Boreal Peatlands.- The Postglacial Development of Boreal and Subarctic Peatlands.- The Role of Sphagnum in Peatland Development and Persistence.- Peatland Fauna.- The Role of Fungi in Boreal Peatlands.- Decomposition in Boreal Peatlands.- Primary Production in Boreal Peatlands.- Carbon in Boreal Peatlands.- The Nitrogen Cycle in Boreal Peatlands.- Phosphorous in Boreal Peatlands.- Sulfur Cycling in Boreal Peatlands: from Acid Rain to Global Climate Change.- The Hydrology of Peatlands.- Modeling Ecosystem Processes and Peat Accumulation in Boreal Peatlands.- Forestry and Boreal Peatlands.- Disturbance in Boreal Peatlands.- Restoration of Degraded Boreal Peatlands.- Boreal Peatland Ecosystems: Our Carbon Heritage.