Methane emissions from the trunks of living trees on upland soils

Journal Article · Thu Feb 25 00:00:00 EST 2016 · New Phytologist

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13909· OSTI ID:1787089

Wang, Zhi‐Ping ^[1]; Gu, Qian ^[2]; Deng, Feng‐Dan ^[3]; Huang, Jian‐Hui ^[2]; Megonigal, J. Patrick ^[4]; Yu, Qiang ^[5]; Lü, Xiao‐Tao ^[5]; Li, Ling‐Hao ^[2]; Chang, Scott ^[6]; Zhang, Yun‐Hai ^[2]; Feng, Jin‐Chao ^[7]; Han, Xing‐Guo ^[1]

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1. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanxincun 20, Xiangshan Beijing 100093 China, State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology Institute of Applied Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenyang 110164 China
2. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanxincun 20, Xiangshan Beijing 100093 China
3. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanxincun 20, Xiangshan Beijing 100093 China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Yuquanlu Beijing 100049 China
4. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center PO Box 28 Edgewater MD 21037‐0028 USA
5. State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology Institute of Applied Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenyang 110164 China
6. Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton T6G 2E3 Alberta Canada
7. Institute of Desertification Studies Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing 100091 China

Summary Upland forests are traditionally thought to be net sinks for atmospheric methane ( CH ₄ ). In such forests, in situ CH ₄ fluxes on tree trunks have been neglected relative to soil and canopy fluxes. We measured in situ CH ₄ fluxes from the trunks of living trees and other surfaces, such as twigs and soils, using a static closed‐chamber method, and estimated the CH ₄ budget in a temperate upland forest in Beijing. We found that the trunks of Populus davidiana emitted large quantities of CH ₄ during July 2014–July 2015, amounting to mean annual emissions of 85.3 and 103.1 μg m ⁻²  h ⁻¹ on a trunk surface area basis on two replicate plots. The emission rates were similar in magnitude to those from tree trunks in wetland forests. The emitted CH ₄ was derived from the heartwood of trunks. On a plot or ecosystem scale, trunk CH ₄ emissions were equivalent to c . 30–90% of the amount of CH ₄ consumed by soils throughout the year, with an annual average of 63%. Our findings suggest that wet heartwoods, regardless of rot or not, occur widely in living trees on various habitats, where CH ₄ can be produced.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: DE‐SC0008165
• OSTI ID: 1787089
• Journal Information: New Phytologist, Journal Name: New Phytologist Vol. 211 Journal Issue: 2; ISSN 0028-646X
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Country of Publication: United Kingdom
• Language: English