Methane emission from a wetland rice field as affected by salinity

The impact of salinity on CH₄ emission was studied by adding salt to a Philippine rice paddy, increasing pore water EC to approx. 4 dS.m^-1 Methane emission from the salt-amended plot and adjacent control plots was monitored with a closed chamber technique. The addition of salt to the rice field caused a reduction by 25% in CH₄ emission. Rates of methane emissions from intact soil cores were measured during aerobic and anaerobic incubations. The anaerobic CH₄ fluxes from the salt-amended soil cores were three to four times lower than from cores of the control plot, whereas the aerobic CH₄ fluxes were about equal. Measurements of the potential CH₄ production with depth showed that the CH₄ production in the salt-amended field was strongly reduced compared to the control field. Calculation of the percentage CH₄ oxidized of the anaerobic flux indicated that CH₄ oxidation in the salt-amended plot was even more inhibited than CH₄ production. The net result was about equal aerobic CH₄ fluxes from both salt-amended plots and non-amended plots. The data illustrate the importance of both CH₄ production and CH₄ oxidation when estimating CH₄ emission and show that the ratio between CH₄ production and CH₄ oxidation may depend on environmental conditions. The reduction in CH₄ emission from rice paddies upon amendment with salt low in sulfate is considerably smaller than the reduction in CH₄ emission observed in a similar study where fields were amended with high-sulfate containing salt (gypsum). The results indicate that CH₄ emissions from wetland rice fields on saline, low-sulfate soils are lower than CH₄ emissions from otherwise comparable non-saline rice tields. However, the reduction in CH₄ emission is not proportional to the reduction in CH₄ production     

The importance of floating peat to methane fluxes from flooded peatlands

The effect of flooding on methane (CH₄) fluxes was studied through the construction of an experimental reservoir in a boreal forest wetland at the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario. Prior to flooding, the peatland surface was a small source of CH₄ to the atmosphere (1.0± SD of 2.3 mg CH₄ m^–2 d^–1). After flooding, CH₄ fluxes from the submerged peat surface increased to 64±68 mg CH4 m^–2 d^–1 CH₄ bubbles within the submerged peat caused about 1/3 of the peat to float. Fluxes from these floating peat islands were much higher (440±350 mg CH₄ m^–2 d^–2) than from both the pre-flood (undisturbed) and the post-flood (submerged) peat surfaces.The high fluxes of CH₄ from the floating peat surfaces may be explained by a number of factors known to affect the production and consumption of CH₄ in peat. In floating peat, however, these factors are particularly enhanced and include decreased oxidation of CH₄ due to the loss of aerobic habitat normally found above the water table of undisturbed peat and to increased peat temperatures. The extremely high fluxes associated with newly lifted peat may decrease as the islands age. However, CH₄ flux rates from floating peat islands that were several years old still far exceeded those from undisturbed peat surfaces and from the water surface of a newly created reservoir.     

Methane consumption in two temperate forest soils

Forest soils are thought to be an important sink for atmospheric methane. To evaluate methane consumption,¹⁴C-labeled methane was added to the headspace of intact soil cores collected from a mixed mesophytic forest and from a red spruce forest located in the central Appalachian Mountains. Both soils consumed the added methane at initially high rates that decreased as the methane mixing ratio of the air decreased. The mixed mesophytic forest soil consumed an average of 2 mg CH₄ m^–2 d^–1 versus 1 mg CH, m^–2 d^–1 for the spruce forest soil. The addition of acetylene to the headspace completely suppressed methane consumption by the soils, suggesting that an aerobic methane-consuming microorganism mediated the process. At both forest sites, methane mixing ratios in soil air spaces were greater than that in the air overlying the soil surface, indicating that these soils had the ability to produce methane. Models of methane emission from forest soils to the atmosphere must represent methane flux as the balance between production and consumption of methane, which are controlled by very different factors     

Hysteresis in the temperature response of carbon dioxide and methane production in peat soils

The ability to predict the effects of climate change on trace gas fluxes requires a knowledge of microbial temperature responses. However, the response of a microbial community to temperature in a given substrate may be complicated by its thermal history. To examine the effect of sequentially changing temperature on methane and carbon dioxide production in different peat types, we incubated anaerobic peat samples from 3 types of northern peatlands, a bog, a sedge fen and a cedar swamp, in both rising and falling temperature regimes. Graphic and statistical comparisons of the different temperature regimes suggest hysteresis in microbial response to temperature, although the absolute rates at any given temperature often did not differ. Where regressions for temperature response (Arrhenius plots) were significant, they generally differed between temperature regimes. The greatest differences among treatments occurred during the first half of the 40-d incubation. Increases in carbon dioxide production were similar across all peat types, but methanogenesis varied widely: methane production was uniformly low in the bog peat but increased sharply with temperature in the other two peat types. The complicating effect of history or chronology on substrate responses to environmental stimuli may restrain our ability to model the responses of complex systems to changing conditions.     

Winter fluxes of methane from Minnesota peatlands

Winter fluxes of methane were investigated in northern Minnesota during 1988–89 and 1989–90. Two bogs and a fen emitted methane throughout the snow-covered season (November through March). Fluxes decreased to a low level of 3–16 mg CH₄ m^–2 d^–1 in late March, reflecting decreasing peat temperatures and (in 1989–90) increasing depth of frost in the peat. Winter fluxes calculated by integration for an open poor fen, an open bog, a forested bog hollow, and a hummock site in the forested bog averaged 49, 12, 13, and 5 mg m^–2 d^–1, respectively, in 1989–1990 (the year most measurements were made). These comprised 11%, 4%, 15%, and 21% of total annual flux.     

多年冻土退化对湿地甲烷排放的影响研究进展

全球气候变暖导致北半球大部分多年冻土区的冻土已经开始退化。多年冻土退化对冻土区湿地CH₄排放产生重要影响,可能直接决定冻土区湿地对全球气候变暖的反馈方式。综述了近年来多年冻土退化对湿地CH₄排放影响的研究。多年冻土退化导致的土壤活动层深度增加和植被类型由中生向湿生的转变都可能会大大增加冻土区湿地CH₄排放量,从而可能对全球气候变暖产生正反馈作用。但多年冻土退化导致的水文条件变化、土壤温度变化和微生物组成及活性变化对湿地CH₄排放的影响却存在一定的不确定性。多年冻土退化除了影响湿地CH₄排放量之外,还可能通过改变土壤冻融过程而影响湿地CH₄排放的季节分配模式。最后提出目前研究中存在的问题,并对未来研究方向进行了展望。     

闽江河口短叶茳芏潮汐湿地甲烷排放通量

采用静态箱-气相色谱法,测定了闽江河口短叶茳芏（Cyperus malaccensis）潮汐湿地甲烷排放通量.结果表明：夏季和冬季短叶茳芏潮汐湿地甲烷排放通量的日变化范围分别在1.29～2.93 mg·m^-2·h^-1和0.06～0.22 mg·m^-2·h^-1;涨潮前、涨落潮过程中和落潮后甲烷排放通量分别在0.11～1.52 mg·m^-2·h^-1、0.10～1.05 mg·m^-2·h^-1和0.05～1.70 mg·m^-2·h^-1,月平均值分别为0.73、0.47和0.72 mg·m^-2·h^-1,其排放峰值均出现在9月,最低值出现在3月,涨落潮过程中的甲烷排放通量明显低于涨潮前和落潮后（P< 0.05）;甲烷排放通量的季节变化表现为：夏季>秋季>春季>冬季;潮汐是影响甲烷排放日变化的重要因子,植物生长阶段和温度是甲烷排放月变化和季节变化的主要控制因子.     

Effect of various anionic species on net methane production in flooded rice soils

In a laboratory incubation study, effect of various anions on net methane production in two rice soils (alluvial and acid sulphate) under flooded conditions was examined. Methane production was considerable in alluvial soil and almost negligible in acid sulphate soil, albeit with a higher density of viable methanogens, during 30-day incubation without salts. Sodium salts of hydroxide and phosphate further stimulated methane production in alluvial soil and marginally in acid sulphate soil. But, addition of sodium molybdate, a selective inhibitor of sulphate-reducing bacteria, increased the production of methane in acid sulphate soil. In contrast, nitrite, nitrate, sulphite and sulphate suppressed the production of methane in both soils. Acetate served as an excellent substrate for methanogenesis in alluvial soil, but not in acid sulphate soil. Succinate and citrate also stimulated methane production especially in alluvial soil, but after a longer lag. In acid sulphate soil, most of the added carbon in the form of sodium salts of carboxylic acids was converted to CO2 and not methane, which is consistent with their preferential use by the sulphate-reducing bacteria. In general, none of the amendments could increase production of methane in acid sulphate soil to the same level as in alluvial soil.     

Methane emissions from rice microcosms: The balance of production, accumulation and oxidation

In rice microcosms (Oryza sativa, var. Roma, type japonica),CH₄ emission, CH₄ production, CH₄oxidation and CH₄ accumulation were measured over an entirevegetation period. Diffusive CH₄ emission was measured inclosed chambers, CH₄ production was measured in soil samples,CH₄ oxidation was determined from the difference between oxicand anoxic emissions, and CH₄ accumulation was measured byanalysis of porewater and gas bubbles. The sum of diffusiveCH₄ emission, CH₄ oxidation, andCH₄ accumulation was only 60% of the cumulativeCH₄ production. The two values diverged during the first 50days (vegetative phase) and then again during the last 50 days (latereproductive phase and senescence) of the 150 day vegetation period. Duringthe period of day 50–100 (early reproductive phase/flowering), theprocesses were balanced. Most likely, gas bubbles and diffusion limitationare responsible for the divergence in the early and late phases. The effectof rice on CH₄ production rates and CH₄concentrations was studied by measuring these processes also in unplantedmicrocosms. Presence of rice plants lowered the CH₄concentrations, but had no net effect on the CH₄ productionrates.     

Modeled production,oxidation, and transport processes of wetland methane emissions in temperate,boreal, and Arctic regions

Wetlands are the largest natural source of methane (CH₄) to the atmosphere. The eddy covariance method provides robust measurements of net ecosystem exchange of CH₄, but interpreting its spatiotemporal variations is challenging due to the co-occurrence of CH₄ production, oxidation, and transport dynamics. Here, we estimate these three processes using a data-model fusion approach across 25 wetlands in temperate, boreal, and Arctic regions. Our data-constrained model—iPEACE—reasonably reproduced CH₄ emissions at 19 of the 25 sites with normalized root mean square error of 0.59, correlation coefficient of 0.82, and normalized standard deviation of 0.87. Among the three processes, CH₄ production appeared to be the most important process, followed by oxidation in explaining inter-site variations in CH₄ emissions. Based on a sensitivity analysis, CH₄ emissions were generally more sensitive to decreased water table than to increased gross primary productivity or soil temperature. For periods with leaf area index (LAI) of ≥20% of its annual peak, plant-mediated transport appeared to be the major pathway for CH₄ transport. Contributions from ebullition and diffusion were relatively high during low LAI (<20%) periods. The lag time between CH₄ production and CH₄ emissions tended to be short in fen sites (3 ± 2 days) and long in bog sites (13 ± 10 days). Based on a principal component analysis, we found that parameters for CH₄ production, plant-mediated transport, and diffusion through water explained 77% of the variance in the parameters across the 19 sites, highlighting the importance of these parameters for predicting wetland CH₄ emissions across biomes. These processes and associated parameters for CH₄ emissions among and within the wetlands provide useful insights for interpreting observed net CH₄ fluxes, estimating sensitivities to biophysical variables, and modeling global CH₄ fluxes.     

The effect of vascular plants on carbon turnover and methane emissions from a tundra wetland

This paper investigates how vascular plants affect carbon flow and the formation and emission of the greenhouse gas methane (CH₄) in an arctic wet tundra ecosystem in NE Greenland. We present a field experiment where we studied, in particular, how species‐specific root exudation patterns affect the availability of acetate, a hypothesized precursor of CH₄ formation. We found significantly higher acetate formation rates in the root vicinity of Eriophorum scheuchzeri compared with another dominating sedge in the wetland, i.e. Dupontia psilosantha. Furthermore a shading treatment, which reduced net photosynthesis, resulted in significantly decreased formation rates of acetate. We also found that the potential CH₄ production of the peat profile was highly positively correlated to the concentration of acetate at the respective depths, whereas it was negatively correlated to the concentration of total dissolved organic carbon. This suggests that acetate is a substrate of importance to the methanogens in the studied ecosystem and that acetate concentration in this case can serve as a predictor of substrate quality. To further investigate the importance of acetate as a predecessor to CH₄, we brought an intact peat‐plant monolith system collected at the field site in NE Greenland to the laboratory, sealed it hermetically and studied the decomposition of ¹⁴C‐labelled acetate injected at the depth of methanogenic activity. After 4 h, ¹⁴CH₄ emission from the monolith could be observed. In conclusion, allocation of recently fixed carbon to the roots of certain species of vascular plants affects substrate quality and influence CH₄ formation.     

盐分对湿地甲烷排放影响的研究进展

当前在全球气候变化和人类活动双重作用下,湿地正在或者将要面临着显著的盐分变化形势,尤其是内陆和滨海咸化湿地。湿地是大气甲烷的重要排放源。甲烷排放是甲烷产生、氧化和传输过程综合作用的结果。盐分变化将影响湿地水-土环境,降低植物群落初级生产力和有机物积累速率,改变微生物主导的有机物矿化速率和途径等,进而改变湿地生态系统的结构和功能,影响湿地甲烷产生、氧化、传输和排放系列过程。本文综述了盐分(浓度与组成)对湿地甲烷产生与排放的影响结果,从底物供给、微生物(产甲烷菌和甲烷氧化菌等)数量、活性与群落组成、酶活性、植物、电子受体、p H和氧化还原电位等几个关键方面分析了盐分影响湿地甲烷排放过程的内在机制。在此基础上提出了今后需重点关注的5个方面:1)加强盐分浓度与组成对湿地甲烷产生、氧化、传输与排放影响的系统性、框架性研究;2)深入探讨盐分背景、变化幅度与速率的耦合如何影响湿地甲烷系列过程;3)不同离子组成及其交互效应如何影响湿地甲烷动态过程;4)结合生物学、基因组学及同位素技术等,加强湿地产甲烷菌与甲烷氧化菌与盐分的关系及其响应研究;5)湿地甲烷对盐分变化响应的时空分异规律。     

Methane production and sulfate reduction in two Appalachian peatlands

Anaerobic carbon mineralization was evaluated over a 1-year period in two Sphagnum-dominated peatlands, Big Run Bog, West Virginia, and Buckle's Bog, Maryland. In the top 35 cm of peat, mean rates of methane production, anaerobic carbon dioxide production, and sulfate reduction at Big Run Bog were 63,406 and 146 mol L^-1 d^-1, respectively, and at Buckle's Bog were 18, 486 and 104 mol L^-1 d^-1. Annual anaerobic carbon mineralization to methane and carbon dioxide at Big Run Bog and Buckle's Bog was 52.8 and 57.2 mol m^-2, respectively. Rates of methane production were similar to rates reported for other freshwater peatlands, but methane production accounted for only 11.7 and 2.8%, respectively, of the total anaerobic carbon mineralization at these two sites. Carbon dioxide production, resulting substantially from sulfate reduction, dominated anaerobic carbon mineralization. Considerable sulfate reduction despite low instantaneous dissolved sulfate concentrations (typically < 300 mol L^-1 of substrate) was apparently fueled by oxidation and rapid turnover of the reduced inorganic sulfur pool.The coincidence of high sulfate inputs to the Big Run Bog and Buckle's Bog watersheds through acid precipitation with the unexpected importance of sulfate reduction leads us to suggest a new hypothesis: peatlands not receiving high sulfate loading should exhibit low rates of anaerobic decomposition, and a predominance of methane production over sulfate reduction; however, if such peatlands become subjected to high rates of sulfur deposition, sulfate reduction may be enhanced as an anaerobic mineralization pathway with attendant effects on carbon balance and peat accumulation.     

闽江河口湿地土壤CH4产生与氧化速率对外源氮、硫添加的响应

通过室内培养实验,研究了外源氮、硫添加对闽江河口湿地土壤CH_4产生/氧化速率以及土壤理化性质的短期影响。NH_4Cl(N1)和NH_4NO_3(N3)处理在各培养阶段均显著促进土壤CH_4产生速率(P0.05),较对照分别提高136.70%和136.55%;NH_4Cl+K_2SO_4(NS1)和NH_4NO_3+K_2SO_4(NS3)处理在培养第3、6、12、15和18天均显著促进了CH_4产生速率(P0.05)。KNO_3(N2)、K_2SO_4(S)处理在不同培养时间对CH_4产生速率影响均不显著(P0.05);KNO_3+K_2SO_4(NS2)处理除在第21天外(P0.05),其他时间影响均不显著(P0.05)。N2、N3、NS2和NS3处理均显著促进了土壤CH_4氧化速率(P0.05),平均CH4氧化速率较CK分别提高了145.30%、142.93%、139.48%和112.68%。整体而言,不同添加处理并没有显著改变湿地土壤CH_4产生/氧化速率的时间变化规律,各处理均表现为随培养时间先增加而后逐渐降低。短期培养结束后,土壤可溶性有机碳(DOC)、电导率、p H值在不同处理间均不存在显著差异(P0.05);土壤NH+4-N含量在N1、N3、NS1和NS3处理下,NO_3~--N含量在N2、N3、NS2和NS3处理下,SO_4~(2-)含量在S、NS1、NS2和NS3处理下均显著高于对照处理(P0.05)。相关分析显示,DOC、铵态氮(NH+4-N)和硝态氮(NO_3~--N)是氮、硫添加处理下影响闽江河口湿地土壤CH_4产生/氧化速率短期变化的主要控制因素。     

Archaeal rRNA diversity and methane production in deep boreal peat

Northern peatlands play a major role in the global carbon cycle as sinks for CO₂ and as sources of CH₄. These diverse ecosystems develop through accumulation of partially decomposed plant material as peat. With increasing depth, peat becomes more and more recalcitrant due to its longer exposure to decomposing processes. Compared with surface peat, deeper peat sediments remain microbiologically poorly described. We detected active archaeal communities even in the deep bottom layers (−220/−280 cm) of two Finnish fen-type peatlands by 16S rRNA-based terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. In the sediments of the northern study site, all detected archaea were methanogens with Rice Cluster II (RC-II) and Methanosaetaceae as major groups. In southern peatland, Crenarchaeota of a rare unidentified cluster were present together with mainly RC-II methanogens. RNA profiles showed a larger archaeal diversity than DNA-based community profiles, suggesting that small but active populations were better visualized with rRNA. In addition, potential methane production measurements indicated methanogenic activity throughout the vertical peat profiles.     

Methane production capacities of different rice soils derived from inherent and exogenous substrates

Methane production rates were determined at weekly intervals during anaerobic incubation of eleven Philippine rice soils. The average production rates at 25 °C varied in a large range from 0.03 to 13.6 g CH_{4 g(d.w. soil)} ^-1d^-1. The development of methane production rates derived from inherent substrate allowed a grouping of soils in three classes: those with instantaneous development, those with a delay of approximately two weeks, and those with a suppression of methane production of more than eight weeks. Incubation at 30 and 35 °C increased production capacities of all soils, but the grouping of soils was still maintained. The Arrhenius equation provided a good fit for temperature effects on methane production capacities except for those soils with suppressed production. Acetate amendment strongly enhanced methane production rates and disintegrated the grouping. However, the efficiencies in converting acetate to methane differed among soils. Depending on the soil, 16.5–66.7% of the added acetate was utilized within five weeks incubation at 25 °C.Correlation analyses of methane production (over eight weeks) and physico-chemical soil parameters yielded significant correlations for the concentrations of organic carbon (R² = 0.42) and organic nitrogen (R² = 0.52). Correlation indices could substantially be enhanced by using the enriched fraction of organic carbon (R² = 0.94) and organic nitrogen (R² = 0.77), i.e. the differential between topsoil and subsoil concentrations of the respective compounds. The enriched organic material in the topsoil corresponds to the biologically active fraction and thus represents a good indicator of methane production derived from inherent substrate. The best indicators of the conversion rate of acetate in different soils were pH-value (R² = 0.56) and organic carbon content (R² = 0.52).Apparently, soil properties affect methane production through various pathways. Inherent organic substrate represents a considerable source of methane in some soils and is negligible in others. Likewise, soils also differ regarding the response to exogenous substrate. Both mechanisms yield in a distinct spatial variability of methane production in rice soils.     

The processes of methane production and oxidation in the soils of the Russian Arctic tundra

Methane emission from the following types of tundra soils was studied: coarse humic gleyey loamy cryo soil, peaty gleyey soil, and peaty gleyey midloamy cryo soil of the arctic tundra. All the soils studied were found to be potential sources of atmospheric methane. The highest values of methane emission were recorded in August at a soil temperature of 8–10°C. Flooded parcels were the sources of atmospheric methane throughout the observation period. The rates of methane production and oxidation in tundra soils of various types were studied by the radioisotope method at 5 and 15°C. Methane oxidation was found to occur in bog water, in the green part of peat moss, and in all the soil horizons studied. Methane production was recorded in the horizons of peat, in clay with plant roots, and in peaty moss dust of the bogey parcels. At both temperatures, the methane oxidation rate exceeded the rate of methane production in all the horizons of the mossy-lichen tundra and of the hillock tundra with flat-bottom depressions. Methanogenesis prevailed only in a sedge-peat moss bog at 15°C. Bacterial enrichment cultures oxidizing methane at 5 and 15°C were obtained. Different types of methanotrophic bacteria were shown to be responsible for methane oxidation under these conditions. A representative of type I methylotrophs oxidized methane at 5°C, and Methylocella tundrae, a psychroactive representative of an acidophilic methanotrophic genus Methylocella, at 15°C.__________Translated from Mikrobiologiya, Vol. 74, No. 2, 2005, pp. 261–270.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Berestovskaya, Rusanov, Vasileva, Pimenov.     

Anion-Mediated Salinity Affecting Methane Production in a Flooded Alluvial Soil

In a laboratory incubation study, effects of amendment with sodium salts of SO₄ ^2?, Cl^? and HCO₃ ^? either singly or as a mixture on CH₄ production in a nonsaline alluvial soil under flooded condition were investigated. Methane production was considerable in the unamended alluvial soil, but was significantly inhibited following amendment with salts of different anions to raise the pore water EC to 8 dS·m^?1. SO₄ ^2? was the most inhibitory to CH₄ production and the degree of inhibition followed the order SO₄ ^2? > salt mixture > HCO₃ ^? > Cl^?. Salt amendment did not adversely affect soil microbial activities as expressed in terms of soil redox potential (Eh) and soil pH. However, readily mineralizable carbon content, an indicator of substrate availability for methanogenic bacteria, differed significantly among the treatments. Most probable number estimates indicated that acetotrophic methanogenic bacterial population was lowest in Cl^?-amended soils followed by SO₄ ^2?-amendment with little or no changes in HCO₃ ^?-amended soils. The data suggested that the inhibition in methanogenesis in saline soils rich in sulphate as in coastal saline soils could be due to competitive inhibition of methanogens, while in inland soils, Cl^? content could be a deciding factor.