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Title: Plants, microorganisms, and soil temperatures contribute to a decrease in methane fluxes on a drained Arctic floodplain

Journal Article · · Global Change Biology
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13558· OSTI ID:1401498
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [10];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Hans‐Knöll‐Str 10, 07745 Jena Germany
  2. Aquatic Geomicrobiology Institute of Ecology Friedrich Schiller University Jena Dornburgerstr 159, 07743 Jena Germany
  3. Geoecology–Environmental Science: Micrometeorology and Atmospheric Chemistry Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Science University of Bayreuth Universitätsstr 30, 95447 Bayreuth Germany
  4. Aquatic Geomicrobiology Institute of Ecology Friedrich Schiller University Jena Dornburgerstr 159, 07743 Jena Germany, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Deutscher Platz 5d 04103 Leipzig Germany
  5. Department of Environmental Systems Science Institute of Agricultural Sciences ETH Zurich Universitätstr 16, 8092 Zürich Switzerland
  6. Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Hans‐Knöll‐Str 10, 07745 Jena Germany, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Deutscher Platz 5d 04103 Leipzig Germany
  7. North‐East Science Station Pacific Institute for Geography Far‐Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Science PO Box 18, Cherskii Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Russia
  8. Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Hans‐Knöll‐Str 10, 07745 Jena Germany, Division of Atmospheric Sciences Department of Physics PO Box 64, FI‐00014 University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
  9. Center for Ecosystem Science and Society Department of Biological Sciences Northern Arizona University PO Box 5620, Flagstaff AZ 86011 USA
  10. School of Biology Georgia Institute of Technology North Avenue, Atlanta GA 30332 USA
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Abstract As surface temperatures are expected to rise in the future, ice‐rich permafrost may thaw, altering soil topography and hydrology and creating a mosaic of wet and dry soil surfaces in the Arctic. Arctic wetlands are large sources of CH 4 , and investigating effects of soil hydrology on CH 4 fluxes is of great importance for predicting ecosystem feedback in response to climate change. In this study, we investigate how a decade‐long drying manipulation on an Arctic floodplain influences CH 4 ‐associated microorganisms, soil thermal regimes, and plant communities. Moreover, we examine how these drainage‐induced changes may then modify CH 4 fluxes in the growing and nongrowing seasons. This study shows that drainage substantially lowered the abundance of methanogens along with methanotrophic bacteria, which may have reduced CH 4 cycling. Soil temperatures of the drained areas were lower in deep, anoxic soil layers (below 30 cm), but higher in oxic topsoil layers (0–15 cm) compared to the control wet areas. This pattern of soil temperatures may have reduced the rates of methanogenesis while elevating those of CH 4 oxidation, thereby decreasing net CH 4 fluxes. The abundance of Eriophorum angustifolium , an aerenchymatous plant species, diminished significantly in the drained areas. Due to this decrease, a higher fraction of CH 4 was alternatively emitted to the atmosphere by diffusion, possibly increasing the potential for CH 4 oxidation and leading to a decrease in net CH 4 fluxes compared to a control site. Drainage lowered CH 4 fluxes by a factor of 20 during the growing season, with postdrainage changes in microbial communities, soil temperatures, and plant communities also contributing to this reduction. In contrast, we observed CH 4 emissions increased by 10% in the drained areas during the nongrowing season, although this difference was insignificant given the small magnitudes of fluxes. This study showed that long‐term drainage considerably reduced CH 4 fluxes through modified ecosystem properties.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
DE‐SC0007144; DE‐SC0012088
OSTI ID:
1401498
Journal Information:
Global Change Biology, Journal Name: Global Change Biology Vol. 23 Journal Issue: 6; ISSN 1354-1013
Publisher:
Wiley-BlackwellCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 48 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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