CH4 emission from a hollow-ridge complex in a raised bog: The role of CH4 production and oxidation

The aim of this study was to correlate magnitude andcontrols of CH₄ fluxes with the microtopographyand the vegetation in a hollow-ridge complex of araised bog. High CH₄ emission rates were measuredfrom hollows and mud-bottom hollows, while hummocksconsumed atmospheric CH₄ at a low rate. Thehighest emissions were measured from plots with Eriophorum vaginatum and Scheuchzeriapalustris. CH₄ emission ceased after Scheuchzeria had been clipped below the water table,indicating the importance of this aerenchymatic plantas a conduit for CH₄.Peat in the upper catotelm of hollows was younger andless decomposed than in hummocks. Potential CH₄production in vitro was higher and themethanogenic association was better adapted to highertemperatures in hollow than in hummock peat. Highertemperatures in hollows resulted in a strongerCH₄ source in hollows than in hummocks. Negativefluxes from hummocks indicated that even in wetlandsmethanotrophic bacteria exist that are able to oxidizeCH₄ at atmospheric mixing ratios, and thatoxidation controls CH₄ emission completely. TheCH₄ mixing ratio was low in the acrotelm, but itincreased within the catotelm. Comparing fluxesmeasured in static chambers with fluxes calculatedfrom the porewater CH₄ profiles it was deducedthat the zone of methane oxidation was located closeto the water table.In hollows, CH₄ production at in situtemperature was far higher than emission into theatmosphere, corresponding to an oxidation rate ofnearly 99%. The CH₄ flux between the catotelmand the acrotelm of hollows was also higher than theemission, indicating the importance of CH₄oxidation in the aerobic acrotelm, too. CH₄microprofiles showed that CH₄ oxidation inmud-bottom hollows was confined to the topmost 2 mm,and that in Sphagnum-covered hollows CH₄oxidation occurred at the lower edge of green Sphagnum-parts.     

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 role of Eriophorum vaginatum in CH4 flux from an ombrotrophic peatland

Vegetation composition was found to be an important factor controlling CH₄ emission from an ombrotrophic peatland in the UK, with significantly greater (P < 0.01) CH₄ released from areas containing both Eriophorum vaginatumL. and Sphagnum, than from similar areas without E. vaginatum. Positive correlations were observed between the amount of E. vaginatum and CH₄ emission, with the best predictor of flux being the amount of below-ground biomass of this species (r ² = 0.93). A cutting experiment revealed that there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in CH₄ flux between plots with E. vaginatum stems cut above the water table and plots with intact vegetation, yet there was a 56% mean reduction in CH₄ efflux where stems were cut below the water table (P < 0.05). The effect of E. vaginatum on CH₄ release was mimicked by the presence of inert glass tubes. These findings suggest that the main short-term role of E. vaginatum in the ecosystem is simply as a conduit for CH₄ release. The longer-term importance of E. vaginatum in controlling CH₄ fluxes through C substrate input was suggested by the positive correlation between the night-time CO₂ and CH₄ fluxes (r ² = 0.70), which only occurred when the vegetation was not senescent. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

美国俄亥俄州人工河滨湿地甲烷排放

2008年11月-2009年10月,在美国俄亥俄州哥伦布市Olentangy河河滨湿地,运用静态箱·气相色谱法对比研究了不同水文模式和植被生长状况下2种植被类型(人工植被和自然植被)淡水河滨恢复湿地甲烷(CH4)排放的时空规律,探讨了湿地土壤温度、水文条件、植被和土壤碳含量等因子对CH4排放的影响.结果表明,人工植被和自然植被湿地CH4排放通量均有明显的季节变化规律,但自然植被的淡水湿地CH4排放量仍明显高于人工植被湿地的排放量,其年排放量分别为68和114gCH4-C· m-2·a-1(P＜0.05),这是由于自然植被湿地相对于人工植被湿地有着更高的累积生产力.在2个实验湿地中,淹没深水区比干湿交替区有更高的CH4排放量,CH4排放通量的中值(平均值)分别为4.7(59.9)和0.09( 1.17)mg·m-2·h-1(P＜0.01),波动的水文相对于静止水文条件可减少CH4排放量.并且,实验湿地CH4排放通量与土壤温度和土壤有机碳含量有一定的相关性.因此,可通过对湿地进行适当的植物配置和水文条件等设计和管理措施有效地减少CH4排放.     

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.     

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 emission from Arctic tundra

Concerns about a possible feedback effect on global warming following possible increased emissions of methane from tundra environments have lead to series of methane flux studies of northern wetland/tundra environments. Most of these studies have been carried out in boreal sub-Arctic regions using different techniques and means of assessing representativeness of the tundra. Here are reported a time series of CH₄ flux measurements from a true Arctic tundra site. A total of 528 independent observations were made at 22 fixed sites during the summers of 1991 and 1992. The data are fully comparable to the most extensive dataset yet produced on methane emissions from sub-Arctic tundra-like environments. Based on the data presented, from a thaw-season with approximately 55% of normal precipitation, a global tundra CH₄ source of 18–30 Tg CH₄ yr⁻¹ is estimated. This is within the range of 42±26 Tg CH₄ yr⁻¹ found in a similar sub-Arctic tundra environment. No single-parameter relationship between one environmental factor and CH₄ flux covering all sites was found. This is also in line with conclusions drawn in the sub-Arctic. However, inter-season variations in CH₄ flux at dry sites were largely controlled by the position of the water table, while flux from wetter sites seemed mainly to be controlled by soil temperature.     

Enhanced CH4 emission from a wetland soil exposed to Elevated CO2

Methane emissions from wetland soils are generally a positive function ofplant size and primary productivity, and may be expected to increase dueto enhanced rates of plant growth in a future atmosphere of elevatedCO₂. We performed two experiments with Orontium aquaticum, acommon emergent aquatic macrophyte in temperate and sub-tropical wetlands, todetermine if enhanced rates of photosynthesis in elevated CO₂atmospheres would increase CH₄ emissions from wetland soils.O. aquaticum was grown from seed in soil cores under ambient and elevated(ca. 2-times ambient) concentrations of CO₂ in an initialglasshouse study lasting 3 months and then a growth chamber study lasting 6months. Photosynthetic rates were 54 to 71% higher underelevated CO₂ than ambient CO₂, but plantbiomass was not significantly different at the end of the experiment. Ineach case, CH₄ emissions were higher under elevated thanambient CO₂ levels after 2 to 4 months of treatment, suggestinga close coupling between photosynthesis and methanogenesis in our plant-soilsystem. Methane emissions in the growth chamber study increased by 136%. We observed a significant decrease in transpirationrates under elevated CO₂ in the growth chamber study, andspeculate that elevated CO₂ may also stimulate CH₄ emissions by increasing the extent and duration offlooding in some wetland ecosystems. Elevated CO₂ maydramatically increase CH₄ emissions from wetlands, a sourcethat currently accounts for 40% of global emissions.     

Effect of rice plants on CH4 production,transport, oxidation and emission in rice paddy soil

To understand the integrated effects of rice plants (variety Wuyugeng 2) on CH₄ emission during the typical rice growth stage, the production, oxidation and emission of methane related to rice plants were investigated simultaneously through laboratory and greenhouse experiments. CH₄ emission was significantly higher from the rice planted treatment than from the unplanted treatment. In the rice planted treatment, CH₄ emission was higher at tillering stage than at panicle initiation stage. An average of 36.3% and 54.7% of CH₄ produced was oxidized in the rhizosphere at rice tillering stage and panicle initiation stage, respectively, measured by using methyl fluoride (MF) technique. In the meantime, CH₄ production in the planted treatments incubated under O₂-free N₂ condition was reduced by 44.9 and 22.3%, respectively, compared to unplanted treatment. On the contrary, the presence of rice plants strongly stimulated CH₄ production by approximately 72.3% at rice ripening stage. CH₄ emission through rice plants averaged 95% at the tillering stage and 89% at the panicle initiation stage. Based on these results, conclusions are drawn that higher CH₄ emission from the planted treatment than from unplanted treatment could be attributed to the function of rice plants for transporting CH₄ from belowground to the atmosphere at tillering and panicle initiation stage, and that a higher CH₄ emission at tillering stage than at panicle initiation stage is due to the lower rhizospheric CH₄ oxidation and more effective transport mediated by rice plants.     

鄱阳湖苔草湿地甲烷释放特征

2009年5月-2010年4月在鄱阳湖南矶湿地国家级自然保护区选择以灰化苔草为建群种的洲滩,设置土壤-植物系统(TC)、剪除植物地上部分 (TJ)2个试验处理,利用密闭箱-气相色谱法测定了鄱阳湖典型苔草湿地的甲烷(CH₄)释放通量。结果表明:1)TC、TJ 2个试验处理CH₄释放速率变化范围分别为-0.094-17.75 mg · m^-2 · h^-1、-0.122-19.16 mg · m^-2 · h^-1,均表现出明显的季节变化规律;2)地表未淹水期间,剪草处理CH₄释放显著高于非剪草处理(t=2.69, P<0.05);地表淹水达到15 cm后,剪草处理CH₄释放明显低于非剪草处理。3)土壤5 cm温度、土壤水分与2处理非淹水期间CH₄释放速率均呈显著正相关,是非淹水期间CH₄通量变化的主要控制因子,2因子能够共同解释非淹水期苔草湿地65%-74%的CH₄通量变异;4)试验期间,苔草湿地CH₄释放量约为12.77 gC/m²,相当于同期土壤有机质分解碳排放量的4%,甲烷释放的碳消耗不足苔草湿地年NPP的1%。     

Estimation of the increase in CH4 emission from paddy soils by rice straw application

The relationship between the amount of CH₄ emission to the atmosphere from submerged paddy soils with rice plants and the application level (0–8 g kg^-1) of rice straw (RS) in soil was investigated in a pot experiment. Amounts of CH₄ emitted from pots with respective RS levels differed between a clayey yellow soil and a silty gray lowland soil. However, the increase in cumulative amounts of CH₄ emission with the increase in the application level of RS was similar in pattern between the two soils, and the increase (Y) was formulated with a logistic curve: x, application level of RS; k, a coefficient for relative CH₄ emission.Since the seasonal variations in coefficients a, b, and c in the logistic equation were also formulated as the function of the sum of effective temperature (E, (T–15); T, daily average temperature), the increase in cumulative amounts of CH₄ emission from any paddy soil by any level of RS application was known to be estimated by the following equation:     

Bacterial Processes of the Methane Cycle in Bottom Sediments of Lake Baikal

The activity of methanogenic and methanotrophic bacteria was evaluated in bottom sediments of Lake Baikal. Methane concentration in Baikal bottom sediments varied from 0.0053 to 81.7 ml/dm³. Bacterial methane was produced at rates of 0.0004–534.7 l CH₄/(dm³ day) and oxidized at rates of 0.005–1180 l CH₄/(dm³ day). Peak methane production and oxidation were observed in Frolikha Bay near a methane vent. Methane was emitted into water at rates of 49.2–4340 l CH₄/(m² day). Rates of bacterial methane oxidation in near-bottom water layers ranged from 0.002 to 1.78 l/(l day). Methanogens and methanotrophs were found to play an important role in the carbon cycle through all layers of sediments, particularly in the areas of methane vent and gas-hydrate occurrence.     

Methane emission from feather moss stands

Data from remote sensing and Eddy towers indicate that forests are not always net sinks for atmospheric CH₄. However, studies describing specific sources within forests and functional analysis of microorganisms on sites with CH₄ turnover are scarce. Feather moss stands were considered to be net sinks for carbon dioxide, but received little attention to their role in CH₄ cycling. Therefore, we investigated methanogenic rates and pathways together with the methanogenic microbial community composition in feather moss stands from temperate and boreal forests. Potential rates of CH₄ emission from intact moss stands (n = 60) under aerobic conditions ranged between 19 and 133 pmol CH₄ h^?1 gdw^?1. Temperature and water content positively influenced CH₄ emission. Methanogenic potentials determined under N₂ atmosphere in darkness ranged between 22 and 157 pmol CH₄ h^?1 gdw^?1. Methane production was strongly inhibited by bromoethane sulfonate or chloroform, showing that CH₄ was of microbial origin. The moss samples tested contained fluorescent microbial cells and between 10⁴ and 10⁵ copies per gram dry weight moss of the mcrA gene coding for a subunit of the methyl CoM reductase. Archaeal 16S rRNA and mcrA gene sequences in the moss stands were characteristic for the archaeal families Methanobacteriaceae and Methanosarcinaceae. The potential methanogenic rates were similar in incubations with and without methyl fluoride, indicating that the CH₄ was produced by the hydrogenotrophic rather than aceticlastic pathway. Consistently, the CH₄ produced was depleted in ¹³C in comparison with the moss biomass carbon and acetate accumulated to rather high concentrations (3–62 mM). The δ¹³C of acetate was similar to that of the moss biomass, indicating acetate production by fermentation. Our study showed that the feather moss stands contained active methanogenic microbial communities producing CH₄ by hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis and causing net emission of CH₄ under ambient conditions, albeit at low rates.     

Methane emission from tidal freshwater marshes

In two tidal freshwater marshes, methane emission,production and accumulation in the pore-water have beenstudied. The two sites differ in their dominantvegetation, i.e., reed and bulrush, and in theirheights above sea level. The reed site was elevated inrelation to the bulrush site and had higher rates ofmethane emission and production. It is argued thatthis difference in methane emission between sites wasprimarily due to a different effect of reed andbulrush plants on methane dynamics rather than methaneoxidation related to tidal elevation. Methane emissionshowed strong seasonality related primarily to plantphysiology and only secondarily to temperature. Twocontrol sites at which vegetation was removedsystematically had lower emission rates indicating anoverall stimulating effect of plants on methaneemission from tidal marshes. Flooding reduced methaneemission, probably by blocking the primary sites ofmethane release in the lower part of the plantstems.     

水位下降对若尔盖泥炭地垂直剖面土壤甲烷产生及厌氧氧化潜势的影响

泥炭地是主要的甲烷（CH₄）排放源,甲烷循环过程对水位变化响应敏感。研究选取两块具有水位差异的泥炭地土壤,通过厌氧培养实验探究水位变化对泥炭地甲烷产生和甲烷厌氧氧化（Methane Anaerobic Oxidation,AOM）潜势的影响,并分析影响其潜势大小的生物地球化学因子。结果显示,高水位泥炭地（0 cm） CH₄产生累积量为（0.89±0.01）μg/g,要显著高于低水位（-30 cm：（0.70±0.03）μg/g）泥炭地甲烷产生量,但低水位AOM累积量要显著高于高水位泥炭地（0 cm：（2829.93±35.99）μg/g）,低水位泥炭地AOM量为（3588.06±24.78）μg/g。通过相关性分析发现甲烷产生潜势与含水量和DOC具有显著相关性,AOM潜势与含水量、pH、DOC具有显著相关性,含水量和DOC是影响若尔盖泥炭地甲烷产生及AOM潜势大小的重要因子。此外,发现高水位泥炭地甲烷产生潜势对温度升高的响应较为明显,特别是表层土壤（0-20 cm）。本研究明确了水位变化对若尔盖泥炭地甲烷产生及AOM潜势的影响特征,估算了全国泥炭地甲烷产生及AOM潜势的大小,以期为减缓全球气候变暖提供一定的理论支撑。     

Methane emission from natural wetlands: interplay between emergent macrophytes and soil microbial processes. A mini-review

Background

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007, natural wetlands contribute 20–39 % to the global emission of methane. The range in the estimated percentage of the contribution of these systems to the total release of this greenhouse gas is large due to differences in the nature of the emitting vegetation including the soil microbiota that interfere with the production and consumption of methane.

Scope

Methane is a dominant end-product of anaerobic mineralization processes. When all electron acceptors except carbon dioxide are used by the microbial community, methanogenesis is the ultimate pathway to mineralize organic carbon compounds. Emergent wetland plants play an important role in the emission of methane to the atmosphere. They produce the carbon necessary for the production of methane, but also facilitate the release of methane by the possession of a system of interconnected internal gas lacunas. Aquatic macrophytes are commonly adapted to oxygen-limited conditions as they prevail in flooded or waterlogged soils. By this system, oxygen is transported to the underground parts of the plants. Part of the oxygen transported downwards is released in the root zone, where it sustains a number of beneficial oxidation processes. Through the pores from which oxygen escapes from the plant into the root zone, methane can enter the plant aerenchyma system and subsequently be emitted into the atmosphere. Part of the oxygen released into the root zone can be used to oxidize methane before it enters the atmosphere. However, the oxygen can also be used to regenerate alternative electron acceptors. The continuous supply of alternative electron acceptors will diminish the role of methanogenesis in the anaerobic mineralization processes in the root zone and therefore repress the production and emission of methane. The role of alternative element cycles in the inhibition of methanogenesis is discussed.

Conclusions

The role of the nitrogen cycle in repression of methane production is probably low. In contrast to wetlands particularly created for the purification of nitrogen-rich waste waters, concentrations of inorganic nitrogen compounds are low in the root zones in the growing season due to the nitrogen-consuming behaviour of the plant. Therefore, nitrate hardly competes with other electron acceptors for reduced organic compounds, and repression of methane oxidation by the presence of higher levels of ammonium will not be the case. The role of the iron cycle is likely to be important with respect to the repression of methane production and oxidation. Iron-reducing and iron-oxidizing bacteria are ubiquitous in the rhizosphere of wetland plants. The cycling of iron will be largely dependent on the size of the oxygen release in the root zone, which is likely to be different between different wetland plant species. The role of the sulfur cycle in repression of methane production is important in marine, sulfate-rich ecosystems, but might also play a role in freshwater systems where sufficient sulfate is available. Sulfate-reducing bacteria are omnipresent in freshwater ecosystems, but do not always react immediately to the supply of fresh sulfate. Hence, their role in the repression of methanogenesis is still to be proven in freshwater marshes.     

Effects of ammonium-based fertilisation on microbialprocesses involved in methane emission from soilsplanted with rice

The emission of the greenhouse gas CH₄ from ricepaddies is strongly influenced by management practicessuch as the input of ammonium-based fertilisers. Weassessed the impact of different levels (200 and 400kgN.ha^–1) of urea and (NH₄)₂HPO₄on the microbial processes involved in production andconsumption of CH₄ in rice field soil. We usedcompartmented microcosms which received fertilisertwice weekly. Potential CH₄ production rates weresubstantially higher in the rice rhizosphere than inunrooted soil, but were not affected by fertilisation.However, CH₄ emission was reduced by the additionof fertiliser and was negatively correlated with porewater NH ₄ ^plus concentration, probably as theconsequence of elevated CH₄ oxidation due tofertilisation. CH₄ oxidation as well as numbersof methanotrophs was distinctly stimulated by theaddition of fertiliser and by the presence of the riceplant. Without fertiliser addition,nitrogen-limitation of the methanotrophs will restrictthe consumption of CH₄. This may have a majorimpact on the global CH₄ budget, asnitrogen-limiting conditions will be the normalsituation in the rice rhizosphere. Elevated potentialnitrifying activities and numbers were only detectedin microcosms fertilised with urea. However, asubstantial part of the nitrification potential in therhizosphere of rice was attributed to the activity ofmethanotrophs, as was demonstrated using theinhibitors CH₃F and C₂H₂.     

Methane emissions by alpine plant communities in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

For the first time to our knowledge, we report here methane emissions by plant communities in alpine ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This has been achieved through long-term field observations from June 2003 to July 2006 using a closed chamber technique. Strong methane emission at the rate of 26.2+/-1.2 and 7.8+/-1.1microg CH4 m-2h-1 was observed for a grass community in a Kobresia humilis meadow and a Potentilla fruticosa meadow, respectively. A shrub community in the Potentilla meadow consumed atmospheric methane at the rate of 5.8+/-1.3microg CH4 m-2h-1 on a regional basis; plants from alpine meadows contribute at least 0.13Tg CH4 yr-1 in the Tibetan Plateau. This finding has important implications with regard to the regional methane budget and species-level difference should be considered when assessing methane emissions by plants.     

Methane emissions from fen,bog and swamp peatlands in Quebec

A static chamber technique was used weekly from spring thaw to winter freezing to measure methane emissions from 10 sites representing subarctic fens and temperate swamps and bogs. Rates of < 200 mg CH₄ m^–2 d^–1 were recorded in subarctic fens: within-site emissions were primarily controlled by the evolution of the peat thermal regime, though significant releases during spring thaw were recorded at some sites. Between subarctic fens, topography and water table elevation were important controls on methane emissions, with the general sequence: pool = horizontal fen> string. Emission rates from the 2 swamp sites were lower (< 20 mg CH₄ m^–2 d^–1 ), except during the spring thaw and when the sites were saturated. The low water table ( < 80 cm depth) in abnormally dry years reduced emission rates; rates were also low from a swamp site which had been drained and cleared of vegetation for horticulture. Methane emission rates were also low (< 5 mg CH₄ m^–2 d^–1) from 2 ombrotrophic bog sites. Laboratory measurements of rates of methane production under anaerobic conditions and methane consumption under aerobic conditions revealed that production rates were generally highest in the surface layers (0 to 2.5 cm depth); production was high in the fens and very low in the bogs. The swamp samples were able to produce methane under anaerobic conditions, but were also able to consume methane under aerobic conditions. Annual methane emission rates are estimated to be 1 to 10 g CH₄ m^–2 from the fens, 1 to 4 g CH4 m^–2 from the swamps and <0.2 g CH₄ m^–2 from the bogs and drained swamp.     

Methane oxidation associated with submersed vascular macrophytes and its impact on plant diffusive methane flux

Methane oxidation associated with submersed vascular plants andits effects on diffusive CH₄ release from plants wereexamined through a series of laboratory and field incubationexperiments. In laboratory analyses, measured rates of epiphyticoxidation (i.e., oxidation associated with aboveground tissues) rangedfrom 0.3 to 32.9 pmol mm^–2 plant tissueh^–1 with significant CH₄ consumptionassociated with basal (i.e., near sediment) leaves and stems for all sixspecies tested. Basal stem tissue also showed greater oxidation activitythan basal leaves. Oxidation activity for washed roots of threesubmersed species ranged from 0.18 to 7.01 µmolg^–1 root ash-free dry mass h^–1 withhigher rates associated with two rhizomatous/stoloniferous speciesthan with a non-rhizomatous one. In field incubations of a singlespecies (Myriophyllum exalbescens), intact plants showed netCH₄ consumption during the day and net release at night. Whena specific inhibitor of CH₄ oxidation was applied (methylfluoride – MF), net daytime release from plants was observed andnighttime flux increased, indicating that diffusive CH₄release from submersed plants is significantly curtailed by the activityof epiphytic methanotrophs.