Chapter 1
Basic Information About Tropical Peatland
Ecosystems
Mitsuru Osaki, Tsuyoshi Kato, Takashi Kohyama, Hidenori Takahashi,
Akira Haraguchi, Kazuo Yabe, Nobuyuki Tsuji, Satomi Shiodera,
Joeni Setijo Rahajoe, Tika Dewi Atikah, Ayako Oide, Kayo Matsui,
Rahmawati I. Wetadewi, and Sisva Silsigia
Abstract The functions of peatlands (peat soils) can be considered based on their
two main elements: (1) the peat matter and (2) the water.
Peat Matter: Peat matter is composed of carbon fibers that are mostly made of
lignin; therefore, peat matter contains very few nutrients and desorbs nutrient ions
M. Osaki (*) · T. Kohyama
Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
e-mail: mosaki@chem.agr.hokuda.ac.jp
T. Kato · S. Silsigia
PT. Wana Subur Lestari/PT. Mayangkara Tanaman Industri, Jakarta, Indonesia
H. Takahashi
NPO Hokkaido Institute of Hydroclimate, Sapporo, Japan
A. Haraguchi
The University of Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu, Japan
K. Yabe
School of Design, Sapporo City University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
N. Tsuji
Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, University of Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia
S. Shiodera
Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan
J. S. Rahajoe · T. D. Atikah
Research Centre for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences-LIPI, Bogor, Indonesia
A. Oide
Kitasato University School of Veterinary Medicine, Aomori, Japan
K. Matsui
National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences (NIAES/NARO), Ibaraki, Japan
R. I. Wetadewi
Peatland Restoration Agency, Menteng, Jakarta, Indonesia
e-mail: rahmawatiw@unops.org
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
M. Osaki et al. (eds.), Tropical Peatland Eco-management,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4654-3_1
3