Effect of soil nitrogen,carbon and moisture on methane uptake by dry tropical forest soils

Methane uptake was measured for two consecutive years for four forest and one savanna sites in a seasonally dry tropical region of India. The soils were nutrient-poor and well drained. These sites differed in vegetational cover and physico-chemical features of the soil. There were significant differences in CH₄ consumption rates during the two years (mean 0.43 and 0.49 mg m^-2 h^-1), and at different sites (mean 0.36 to 0.57 mg m^-2 h^-1). The mean uptake rate was higher (P < 0.05) in dry seasons than in the rainy season at all the sites. There was a significant season and site interaction, indicating that the effect of different seasons differed across the sites. There was a positive relation between soil moisture and CH₄ uptake rates during summer (the driest period) and a negative relation during the rest of the year. The results suggested that seasonally dry tropical forests are a strong sink for CH₄, and C and N status of soils regulates the strength of the sink in the long term.     

Mechanisms for changes in soil carbon storage with pasture to Pinus radiata land-use change

In this study, we simulated pasture to Pinus radiata land‐use change with the Generic Decomposition And Yield (G'DAY) ecosystem model to examine mechanisms responsible for the change in soil carbon (C) under pine. We parameterized the model for paired sites in New Zealand. Our simulations successfully reproduced empirical trends in ecosystem productivity and soil inorganic nitrogen (N), and modeled an increase in soil C and a small decline in soil N after 30 years under pine. We determined the mechanisms contributing to soil C change based on an established hypothesis that attributes increases in soil C storage to three main factors: increased ecosystem N inputs relative to outputs, increased C/N ratios in plant and soil, or a shift of N from plant to soil. The mechanisms we attributed to the simulated increase in soil C under pine were increased soil C inputs through tree litterfall, and an increase in the soil C/N ratio. In the first 7 years following pine establishment, a decline in soil C was simulated; this was matched by a decline in soil N. The simulated longer‐term increase in soil C with afforestation by pine contrasts with results from published field studies, which show either a decline or no change in soil C under pine. The discrepancy between measured and simulated changes in soil C was attributed to the G'DAY model overestimating the transfer of litter C into the mineral soil.     

Cultivation, nitrogen fertilization, and set-aside effects on methane uptake in a drained marsh soil in Northeast China

To evaluate the effect of cultivation, nitrogen fertilizer, and set aside on CH₄ uptake after drained marshland was converted into agricultural fields, CH₄ fluxes and CH₄ concentrations in soil gas were in situ measured in a drained marsh soil, a set‐aside cultivated soil, and cultivated soils in Sanjiang Plain of Northeast China in August 2001. Over the measuring period, the highest CH₄ uptake rate was 120.7±6.2 μg CH₄ m^?2 h^?1 in the drained marsh soil and the lowest was 29.5±4.9 μg CH₄ m^?2 h^?1 in the set‐aside cultivated soil, showing that there was no significant recovery of CH₄ uptake ability 5 years after cultivation activity was stopped. CH₄ uptake rates were significantly less in the cultivated soils than in the drained marsh soil by 30.1–74.6%, which resulted mainly from cultivation and partly from nitrogen addition. A significantly negative correlation between CH₄ flux and bulk density in the cultivated soils tilled by machine suggests that cultivation reduced CH₄ uptake through compaction, because of the enhanced diffusion resistance for CH₄ and O₂. Nitrogen fertilization slowly reduced but persistently affected CH₄ uptake even after long‐term application of nitrogen.     

Emissions of carbon from forestry and land-use change in tropical Asia

The net emissions of carbon from forestry and changes in land use in south and southeast Asia were calculated here with a book-keeping model that used rates of land-use change and associated per hectare changes in vegetation and soil to calculate changes in the amount of carbon held in terrestrial ecosystems and wood products. The total release of carbon to the atmosphere over the period 1850–1995 was 43.5 PgC. The clearing of forests for permanent croplands released 33.5 PgC, about 75% of the total. The reduction of biomass in the remaining forests, as a result of shifting cultivation, logging, fuelwood extraction, and associated regrowth, was responsible for a net loss of 11.5 PgC, and the establishment of plantations withdrew from the atmosphere 1.5 PgC, most of it since 1980. Based on comparisons with other estimates, the uncertainty of this long-term flux is estimated to be within ±30%. Reducing this uncertainty will be difficult because of the difficulty of documenting the biomass of forests in existence >40 years ago. For the 15-y period 1981–1995, annual emissions averaged 1.07 PgC y^–1, about 50% higher than reported for the 1980s in an earlier study. The uncertainty of recent emissions is probably within ± 50% but could be reduced significantly with systematic use of satellite data on changes in forest area. In tropical Asia, the emissions of carbon from land-use change in the 1980s accounted for approximately 75% of the region’s total carbon emissions. Since 1990 rates of deforestation and their associated emissions have declined, while emissions of carbon from combustion of fossil fuels have increased. The net effect has been a reduction in emissions of CO₂ from this region since 1990.     

Effects of soil moisture content and temperature on methane uptake by grasslands on sandy soils

Aerobic grasslands may consume significant amounts of atmospheric methane (CH4). We aimed (i) to assess the spatial and temporal variability of net CH4 fluxes from grasslands on aerobic sandy soils, and (ii) to explain the variability in net CH4 fluxes by differences in soil moisture content and temperature. Net CH4 fluxes were measured with vented closed flux chambers at two sites with low N input on sandy soils in the Netherlands: (i) Wolfheze, a heather grassland, and (ii) Bovenbuurtse Weilanden, a grassland which is mown twice a year. Spatial variability of net CH4 fluxes was analysed using geostatistics. In incubation experiments, the effects of soil moisture content and temperature on CH4 uptake capacity were assessed. Temporal variability of net CH4 fluxes at Wolfheze was related to differences in soil temperature (r2 of 0.57) and soil moisture content (r2 of 0.73). Atmospheric CH4 uptake was highest at high soil temperatures and intermediate soil moisture contents. Spatial variability of net CH4 fluxes was high, both at Wolfheze and at Bovenbuurtse Weilanden. Incubation experiments showed that, at soil moisture contents lower than 5% (w/w), CH4 uptake was completely inhibited, probably due to physiological water stress of methanotrophs. At soil moisture contents higher than 50% (w/w), CH4 uptake was greatly reduced, probably due to the slow down of diffusive CH4 and O2 transport in the soil, which may have resulted in reduced CH4 oxidation and possibly some CH4 production. Optimum soil moisture contents for CH4 uptake were in the range of 20 – 35% (w/w), as prevailing in the field. The sensitivity of CH4 uptake to soil moisture content may result in short-term variability of net atmospheric CH4 uptake in response to precipitation and evapotranspiration, as well as in long-term variability due to changing precipitation patterns as a result of climate change.     

Methane uptake rates in Japanese forest soils depend on the oxidation ability of topsoil, with a new estimate for global methane uptake in temperate forest

To clarify the reason for the higher CH₄ uptake rate in Japanese forest soils, twenty-seven sites were established for CH₄ flux measurement. The first order rate constant for CH₄ uptake was also determined using soil core incubation at 14 sites. The CH₄ uptake rate had a seasonal fluctuation, high in summer and low in winter, and the rate correlated with soil temperature at 17 sites. The annual CH₄ uptake rates ranged from 2.7 to 24.8 kg CH₄ ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ (the average of these rates was 9.7 or 10.9 kg CH₄ ha⁻¹ y⁻¹, depending on method of calculation), which is somewhat higher than the uptake rates reported in previous literature. The averaged CH₄ uptake rate correlated closely with the CH₄ oxidation rate of the topsoil (0–5 cm) in the study sites. The CH₄ oxidation constant of the topsoil was explained by a multiple regression model using total pore volume of the soil, nitrate content, and C/N ratio (p < 0.05, R ² = 0.684). This result and comparison with literature data suggest that the high CH₄ uptake rate in Japanese forest soils depends on the high porosity probably due to volcanic ash parent materials. According to our review of the literature, the CH₄ uptake rate in temperate forests in Europe is significantly different from that in Asia and North America. A new global CH₄ uptake rate in temperate forests was estimated to be 5.4 Tg y⁻¹ (1 SE is 1.1 Tg y⁻¹) on a continental basis.     

Oxidation of atmospheric methane in Northern European soils, comparison with other ecosystems, and uncertainties in the global terrestrial sink

This paper reports the range and statistical distribution of oxidation rates of atmospheric CH₄ in soils found in Northern Europe in an international study, and compares them with published data for various other ecosystems. It reassesses the size, and the uncertainty in, the global terrestrial CH₄ sink, and examines the effect of land‐use change and other factors on the oxidation rate. Only soils with a very high water table were sources of CH₄; all others were sinks. Oxidation rates varied from 1 to nearly 200 μg CH₄ m^?2 h^?1; annual rates for sites measured for ≥1 y were 0.1–9.1 kg CH₄ ha^?1 y^?1, with a log‐normal distribution (log‐mean ≈ 1.6 kg CH₄ ha^?1 y^?1). Conversion of natural soils to agriculture reduced oxidation rates by two‐thirds –‐ closely similar to results reported for other regions. N inputs also decreased oxidation rates. Full recovery of rates after these disturbances takes > 100 y. Soil bulk density, water content and gas diffusivity had major impacts on oxidation rates. Trends were similar to those derived from other published work. Increasing acidity reduced oxidation, partially but not wholly explained by poor diffusion through litter layers which did not themselves contribute to the oxidation. The effect of temperature was small, attributed to substrate limitation and low atmospheric concentration. Analysis of all available data for CH₄ oxidation rates in situ showed similar log‐normal distributions to those obtained for our results, with generally little difference between different natural ecosystems, or between short‐and longer‐term studies. The overall global terrestrial sink was estimated at 29 Tg CH₄ y^?1, close to the current IPCC assessment, but with a much wider uncertainty range (7 to > 100 Tg CH₄ y^?1). Little or no information is available for many major ecosystems; these should receive high priority in future research.     

Spatial and temporal dynamics of methane emissions from agricultural sources in China

Agricultural activities contribute significantly to the global methane budget. Agricultural sources of methane are influenced by land‐use change, including changes in agricultural area, livestock keeping and agricultural management practices. A spatially explicit inventory of methane emissions from agriculture is made for China taking the interconnections between the different agricultural sources into account. The influence of land‐use change on methane emissions is studied by linking a dynamic land‐use change model with emission calculations. The land‐use change model calculates changes in rice area and livestock numbers for a base‐line scenario. Emissions are calculated for 1991 based on land‐use statistics and for 2010 based on simulated changes in land‐use patterns. Emissions from enteric fermentation and manure management are based on emission factors, while emissions from rice paddies involve the calculation of total organic carbon added to rice paddy soils and assume that a constant fraction is emitted as methane. Spatial patterns of emissions are presented for the different sources. For the land‐use scenario considered it is expected that total methane emissions from agricultural sources in China increase by 11% while the relative contribution of rice fields to the emission decreases. Emissions from manure management are expected to become more important. These results indicate that agencies should anticipate changes in source strengths as a consequence of land‐use changes when proposing mitigation strategies and future national greenhouse gas budgets.     

Influence of soil temperature on methane emission from rice paddy fields

Methane emission rates from an Italian rice paddy field showed diel and seasonal variations. The seasonal variations were not closely related to soil temperatures. However, the dieL changes of CH₄ fluxes were significantly correlated with the diel changes of the temperature in a particular soil depth. The soil depths with the best correlations between CH4 flux and temperature were shallow (1–5cm) in May and June, deep (10–15cm) in June and July, and again shallow (1–5 cm) in August. Apparent activation energies (E_a) calculated from these correlations using the Arrhenius model were relatively low (50–150 kJ mol^–1) in May and June, but increased to higher values (80–450 kJ mol^–1) in August. In the laboratory, CH₄ emission from two rice cultures incubated at temperatures between 20 and 38°C showed E . values of 41 and 53 kJ mol^–1) Methane production in anoxic paddy soil suspensions incubated between 7 and 43°C showed E values between 53 and 132 kJ mol^–1 with an average value of 85 kJ mol^–1) and in pure cultures of hydrogenotrophic methanogenic bacteria E _a values between 77 and 173 (average 126) kJ mol^–1. It is suggested that diel changes of soil properties other than temperature affect CH₄ emission rates, e.g. diel changes in root exudation or in efficiency of CH⁴ oxidation in the rhizosphere.     

Distribution of Oriental and German cockroaches, Blatta orientalis and Blattella germanica (Dictyoptera), in the United Kingdom

Results are presented of a survey carried out by Rentokil Ltd on the distribution of the Oriental cockroach Blatta orientalis L. and the German cockroach Blattella germanica L. in the United Kingdom. The known ranges of both species are increased considerably by the findings of the survey, with several new vice-county records for Scotland (including the Western Isles), England and Wales. The frequency at which Blatta orientalis was observed in outdoor habitats may indicate that this species sometimes spreads to new areas without human assistance.     

不同土地利用方式下土壤动物群落的聚类与排序

对广州天河城市化地区林地、草地和农田3种土地利用方式下,6个代表性的样地中小型土壤动物群落进行了调查,共捕获中小型土壤动物1623个,共26个类群,其中线虫纲( Nematoda)、蜱螨目(Acarina)和弹尾目(Collembola)为优势类群,共占总捕获量的79.1％.不同样地生境中土壤动物的类群组成以及个体数不同.总体来看,林地、农田、草地土壤动物群落的Shannon多样性指数、复杂性指数均依次降低,Pielou均匀性指数、Margalef丰富度指数均以林地为最高.对土壤动物的聚类和排序结果表明,研究区中小型土壤动物可划分为4大类,其中第1类由3种优势类群组成;第一、二排序轴分别反映了土壤理化性质、土地利用类型(以人类干扰程度不同为主要特征)对土壤动物组成及分布的影响.     

Assessing the impact of land-use change on soil C sequestration in agricultural soils by means of organic matter fractionation and stable C isotopes

Within the framework of the Kyoto Protocol, the potential mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions by terrestrial ecosystems has placed focus on carbon sequestration following afforestation of former arable land. Central to this soil C sequestration are the dynamics of soil organic matter (SOM). In North Eastern Italy, a mixed deciduous forest was planted on continuous maize field soil with a strong C₄ isotopic C signature 20 years ago. In addition, a continuous maize field and a relic of the original permanent grassland were maintained at the site, thus offering the opportunity to compare the impacts on soil C dynamics by conventional agriculture, afforestation and permanent grassland. Soil samples from the afforested, grassland and agricultured systems were separated in three aggregate size classes, and inter‐ vs. intra‐aggregate particulate organic matter was isolated. All fractions were analyzed for their C content and isotopic signature. The distinct ¹³C signature of the C derived from maize vegetation allowed the calculation of proportions of old vs. forest‐derived C of the physically defined fractions of the afforested soil. Long‐term agricultural use significantly decreased soil C content (?48%), in the top 10 cm, but not SOM aggregation, as compared to permanent grassland. After 20 years, afforestation increased the total amount of soil C by 23% and 6% in the 0–10 and in the 10–30 cm depth layer, respectively. Forest‐derived carbon contributed 43% and 31% to the total soil C storage in the afforested systems in the 0–10 and 10–30 cm depths, respectively. Furthermore, afforestation resulted in significant sequestration of new C and stabilization of old C in physically protected SOM fractions, associated with microaggregates (53–250 μm) and silt&clay (<53 μm).     

Conversion of hardwood forests to spruce and pine plantations strongly reduced soil methane sink in Germany

Well‐drained forest soils are thought to be a significant sink for atmospheric methane. Recent research suggests that land use change reduces the soil methane sink by diminishing populations of methane oxidizing bacteria. Here we report soil CH₄ uptake from ‘natural’ mature beech forests and from mature pine and spruce plantations in two study areas of Germany with distinct climate and soils. The CH₄ uptake rates of both beech forests at Solling and Unterlüß were about two–three times the CH₄ uptake rates of the adjacent pine and spruce plantations, indicating a strong impact of forest type on the soil CH₄ sink. The CH₄ uptake rates of sieved mineral soils from our study sites confirmed the tree species effect and indicate that methanotrophs were mainly reduced in the 0–5 cm mineral soil depth. The reasons for the reduction are still unknown. We found no site effect between Solling and Unterlüß, however, CH₄ uptake rates from Solling were significantly higher at the same effective CH₄ diffusivity. This potential site effect was masked by higher soil water contents at Solling. Soil pH (H₂O) explained 71% of the variation in CH₄ uptake rates of sieved mineral soils from the 0–5 cm depth, while cation exchange capacity, soil organic carbon, soil nitrogen and total phosphorous content were not correlated with CH₄ uptake rates. Comparing 1998–99, annual CH₄ uptake rates increased by 69–111% in the beech and spruce stands and by 5–25% in the pine stands, due primarily to differences in growing season soil moisture. Cumulative CH₄ uptake rates from November throughout April were rather constant in both years. The CH₄ uptake rates of each stand were separately predicted using daily average soil matric potential and a previously developed empirical model. The model results revealed that soil matric potential explains 53–87% of the temporal variation in CH₄ uptake. The differences between measured and predicted annual CH₄ uptake rates were less than 10%, except for the spruce stand at Solling in 1998 (17%). Based on data from this study and from the literature, we calculated a total reduction in the soil CH₄ sink of 31% for German forests due in part to conversion of deciduous to coniferous forests.     

不同土壤水分含量下高寒草地CH4释放的比较研究

2003年6月30日～9月4日,利用密闭箱-气相色谱法,对发育于不同水分状况下的灌丛草甸(GC)、矮嵩草草甸(AC)、藏嵩草草甸(ZC)和季节性湿地(SD)的CH4释放速率进行了比较研究.结果表明,观测期间,季节性湿地处于淹水状态,其它三种土壤平均水分含量分别为39.6%(GC)、38.4%(AC)、65.9%(ZC),而CH4平均释放速率分别为-0.031±0.030(GC)、-0.026±0.018(AC)、1.103±0.240(ZC)和6.922±4.598 mg·m-2·h-1(SD),随着土壤水分含量的增加,高寒草地土壤CH4释放由吸收转为排放,表现出与土壤湿度很好的一致性.矮嵩草草甸不同处理CH4吸收强度AC＜AJ＜AL,它们之间的差异除与土壤水分有关,还可能与处理引起的CH4传输途径不同有关.实验期间,矮嵩草草甸和灌丛草甸土壤-植物系统分别吸收CH438.69和46.13 mg·m-2,是大气温室气体CH4的弱汇,藏嵩草草甸和季节性湿地则是大气温室气体CH4的源,分别排放CH4 1.641和10.30 g·m-2.     

Nitrous oxide and methane fluxes from soils of the Orinoco savanna under different land uses

The study investigates the effect of land‐use change on nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄) fluxes from soil, in savanna ecosystems of the Orinoco region (Venezuela). Gas fluxes were measured by closed static chambers, in the wet and dry season, in representative systems of land management of the region: a cultivated pasture, an herbaceous savanna, a tree savanna and a woodland (control site). Higher N₂O emissions were observed in the cultivated pasture and in the herbaceous savanna compared with the tree savanna and the woodland, and differences were mainly related to fine soil particle content and soil volumetric water content measured in the studied sites. Overall N₂O emissions were quite low in all sites (0–1.58 mg N₂O‐N m^?2 day^?1). The cultivated pasture and the woodland savanna were on average weak CH₄ sinks (?0.05±0.07 and ?0.08±0.05 mg CH₄ m^?2 day^?1, respectively), whereas the herbaceous savanna and the tree savanna showed net CH₄ production (0.23±0.05 and 0.19±0.05 mg CH₄ m^?2 day^?1, respectively). Variations of CH₄ fluxes were mainly driven by variation of soil water‐filled pore space (WFPS), and a shift from net CH₄ consumption to net CH₄ production was observed at around 30% WFPS. Overall, the data suggest that conversion of woodland savanna to managed landscape could alter both CH₄ and N₂O fluxes; however, the magnitude of such variation depends on the soil characteristics and on the type of land management before conversion.     

Climate change effects on carbon and nitrogen mineralization in peatlands through changes in soil quality

Climate change will directly affect carbon and nitrogen mineralization through changes in temperature and soil moisture, but it may also indirectly affect mineralization rates through changes in soil quality. We used an experimental mesocosm system to examine the effects of 6‐year manipulations of infrared loading (warming) and water‐table level on the potential anaerobic nitrogen and carbon (as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) production) mineralization potentials of bog and fen peat over 11 weeks under uniform anaerobic conditions. To investigate the response of the dominant methanogenic pathways, we also analyzed the stable isotope composition of CH₄ produced in the samples. Bog peat from the highest water‐table treatment produced more CO₂ than bog peat from drier mesocosms. Fen peat from the highest water‐table treatment produced the most CH₄. Cumulative nitrogen mineralization was lowest in bog peat from the warmest treatment and lowest in the fen peat from the highest water‐table treatment. As all samples were incubated under constant conditions, observed differences in mineralization patterns reflect changes in soil quality in response to climate treatments. The largest treatment effects on carbon mineralization as CO₂ occurred early in the incubations and were ameliorated over time, suggesting that the climate treatments changed the size and/or quality of a small labile carbon pool. CH₄ from the fen peat appeared to be predominately from the acetoclastic pathway, while in the bog peat a strong CH₄ oxidation signal was present despite the anaerobic conditions of our incubations. There was no evidence that changes in soil quality have lead to differences in the dominant methanogenic pathways in these systems. Overall, our results suggest that even relatively short‐term changes in climate can alter the quality of peat in bogs and fens, which could alter the response of peatland carbon and nitrogen mineralization to future climate change.     

Effect of liming on mineralization of soil nitrogen as measured by plant uptake and nitrogen released during incubation

The effect of lime rates on oat yield and N uptake was measured in a 6-years pot experiment, using 12 acid surface soils (pH 4.7 to 6.0). Mineralization of nitrogen was measured by incubation of soil samples taken after harvest each year from the different lime treatments.Nitrogen uptake was significantly correlated with total N in the soils. Averaged over all 12 soils liming only to pH 7 or above, increased the oat yield significantly. Liming increased the N concentration of grain and the N uptake significantly during a 4-years period, indicating the effect of lime on N mineralization.The mineralization of organic N measured by incubation in the non-limed samples was highly correlated with the total N concentration, but it was not significantly related to the original pH of the soils. The amounts of N released as well as the duration of the lime effect on mineralization varied among soils. When pH was raised to 7 or above, considerable increases in N mineralization occurred in some soils. Based on average values, liming increased N mineralization significantly during a 3-years period. After 3 years, the lime treatments differed only slightly from the non-limed treatments.     

Diffusion-controlled transport of methane from soil to atmosphere as mediated by rice plants

Methane emission from rice grown in flooded soil was measured in pot experiments using headspaces with different gas composition. The emission rates varied with the atmospheric composition. Based on the kinetic theory of gases the binary diffusion coefficients for methane in various gases were calculated. The ratios of the measured emissions under a certain atmosphere relative to that in air were similar to the ratios of the binary diffusion coefficients showing that plant-mediated CH₄ transport is driven by diffusion. Small deviations from the theoretical ratios of emissions support the hypothesis that mass flow of gas to the submerged parts of the rice plant may depress the upward diffusive CH₄ flux. The results in combination with data from the literature suggest that the rate limiting step in plant-mediated methane transport is diffusion of CH₄ across the root/shoot junction.