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Plants produce a wide diversity of metabolites. Yet, our understanding of how shifts in plant metabolites as a response to climate change feedback on ecosystem processes remains scarce. Here, we test to what extent climate warming shifts the seasonality of metabolites produced by Sphagnum mosses, and what are the consequences of these shifts for peatland C uptake.

We used a reciprocal transplant experiment along a climate gradient in Europe to simulate climate change. We evaluated the responses of primary and secondary metabolites in five Sphagnum species and related their responses to gross ecosystem productivity (GEP).

When transplanted to a warmer climate, Sphagnum species showed consistent responses to warming, with an upregulation of either their primary or secondary metabolite according to seasons. Moreover, these shifts were correlated to changes in GEP, especially in spring and autumn.

Our results indicate that the Sphagnum metabolome is very plastic and sensitive to warming. We also show that warming-induced changes in the seasonality of Sphagnum metabolites have consequences on peatland GEP. Our findings demonstrate the capacity for plant metabolic plasticity to impact ecosystem C processes and reveal a further mechanism through which Sphagnum could shape peatland responses to climate change.