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Ranniku R, Kazmi FA, Espenberg M, Truupõld J, Escuer-Gatius J, Mander Ü, Soosaar K. Springtime soil and tree stem greenhouse gas fluxes and the related soil microbiome pattern in a drained peatland forest. BIOGEOCHEMISTRY 2025; 168:48. [PMID: 40352964 PMCID: PMC12058906 DOI: 10.1007/s10533-025-01238-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2025] [Indexed: 05/14/2025]
Abstract
Spring can be a critical time of year for stem and soil methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as soil freeze-thaw events can be hot moments of gas release. Greenhouse gas fluxes from soil, Downy birch (Betula pubescens) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) stems were quantified using chamber systems and gas analysers in spring 2023 in a northern drained peatland forest. Dissolved gas concentrations in birch sap and soil water, environmental parameters, soil chemistry, and functional gene abundances in the soil were determined. During spring, initially low soil and stem CH4, N2O, and CO2 emissions increased towards late April. Temperature emerged as the primary driver of soil and stem fluxes, alongside photosynthetically active radiation influencing stem fluxes. Soil hydrologic conditions had minimal short-term impact. No clear evidence linked stem CH4 emissions to birch sap gas concentrations, while relationships existed for CO2. Functional gene abundances of the N and CH4-cycles changed between measurement days. Potential for methanogenesis and complete denitrification was higher under elevated soil water content, shifting to methanotrophy and incomplete denitrification as the study progressed. However, our results highlight the need for further analysis of relationships between microbial cycles and GHG fluxes under different environmental conditions, including identifying soil microbial processes in soil layers where tree roots absorb water. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10533-025-01238-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reti Ranniku
- Department of Geography, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise, EST-51014 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Fahad Ali Kazmi
- Department of Geography, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise, EST-51014 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mikk Espenberg
- Department of Geography, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise, EST-51014 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Joosep Truupõld
- Department of Geography, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise, EST-51014 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jordi Escuer-Gatius
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 5 Fr.R. Kreutzwaldi, EST-51006 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ülo Mander
- Department of Geography, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise, EST-51014 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kaido Soosaar
- Department of Geography, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise, EST-51014 Tartu, Estonia
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Bréchet LM, Salomόn RL, Machacova K, Stahl C, Burban B, Goret JY, Steppe K, Bonal D, Janssens IA. Insights into the subdaily variations in methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide fluxes from upland tropical tree stems. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2025; 245:2451-2466. [PMID: 39822118 DOI: 10.1111/nph.20401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2024] [Accepted: 12/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2025]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that stem fluxes, although highly variable among trees, can alter the strength of the methane (CH4) sink or nitrous oxide (N2O) source in some forests, but the patterns and magnitudes of these fluxes remain unclear. This study investigated the drivers of subdaily and seasonal variations in stem and soil CH4, N2O and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes. CH4, N2O and CO2 fluxes were measured continuously for 19 months in individual stems of two tree species, Eperua falcata (Aubl.) and Lecythis poiteaui (O. Berg), and surrounding soils using an automated chamber system in an upland tropical forest. Subdaily variations in these fluxes were related to environmental and stem physiological (sap flow and stem diameter variations) measurements under contrasting soil water conditions. The results showed that physiological and climatic drivers only partially explained the subdaily flux variations. Stem CH4 and CO2 emissions and N2O uptake varied with soil water content, time of day and between individuals. Stem fluxes decoupled from soil fluxes. Our study contributes to understanding the regulation of stem greenhouse gas fluxes. It suggests that additional variables (e.g. internal gas concentrations, wood-colonising microorganisms, wood density and anatomy) may account for the remaining unexplained variability in stem fluxes, highlighting the need for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laëtitia M Bréchet
- INRAE, UMR EcoFoG, CNRS, Cirad, AgroParisTech, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, France
- Centre of Excellence PLECO (Plants and Ecosystems), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Roberto L Salomόn
- FORESCENT Research Group, Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
- Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Katerina Machacova
- Department of Ecosystem Trace Gas Exchange, Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Belidla 4a, CZ-60300, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Clément Stahl
- INRAE, UMR EcoFoG, CNRS, Cirad, AgroParisTech, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, France
| | - Benoît Burban
- INRAE, UMR EcoFoG, CNRS, Cirad, AgroParisTech, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, France
| | - Jean-Yves Goret
- INRAE, UMR EcoFoG, CNRS, Cirad, AgroParisTech, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, France
| | - Kathy Steppe
- Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Damien Bonal
- AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR Silva, Université de Lorraine, F-54000, Nancy, France
| | - Ivan A Janssens
- Centre of Excellence PLECO (Plants and Ecosystems), Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610, Wilrijk, Belgium
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Vestin P. Forests don't just absorb CO 2 - they also take up methane. Nature 2024; 631:744-745. [PMID: 39048686 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-024-02270-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
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Ranniku R, Mander Ü, Escuer-Gatius J, Schindler T, Kupper P, Sellin A, Soosaar K. Dry and wet periods determine stem and soil greenhouse gas fluxes in a northern drained peatland forest. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 928:172452. [PMID: 38615757 PMCID: PMC11071052 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from peatland soils are relatively well studied, whereas tree stem fluxes have received far less attention. Simultaneous year-long measurements of soil and tree stem GHG fluxes in northern peatland forests are scarce, as previous studies have primarily focused on the growing season. We determined the seasonal dynamics of tree stem and soil CH4, N2O and CO2 fluxes in a hemiboreal drained peatland forest. Gas samples for flux calculations were manually collected from chambers at different heights on Downy Birch (Betula pubescens) and Norway Spruce (Picea abies) trees (November 2020-December 2021) and analysed using gas chromatography. Environmental parameters were measured simultaneously with fluxes and xylem sap flow was recorded during the growing season. Birch stems played a greater role in the annual GHG dynamics than spruce stems. Birch stems were net annual CH4, N2O and CO2 sources, while spruce stems constituted a CH4 and CO2 source but a N2O sink. Soil was a net CO2 and N2O source, but a sink of CH4. Temporal dynamics of stem CH4 and N2O fluxes were driven by isolated emissions' peaks that contributed significantly to net annual fluxes. Stem CO2 efflux followed a seasonal trend coinciding with tree growth phenology. Stem CH4 dynamics were significantly affected by the changes between wetter and drier periods, while N2O was more influenced by short-term changes in soil hydrologic conditions. We showed that CH4 emitted from tree stems during the wetter period can offset nearly half of the soil sink capacity. We presented for the first time the relationship between tree stem GHG fluxes and sap flow in a peatland forest. The net CH4 flux was likely an aggregate of soil-derived and stem-produced CH4. A dominating soil source was more evident for stem N2O fluxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reti Ranniku
- Department of Geography, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise, EST-51014 Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Ülo Mander
- Department of Geography, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise, EST-51014 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jordi Escuer-Gatius
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 5 Fr.R. Kreutzwaldi, EST-51006 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Thomas Schindler
- Department of Geography, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise, EST-51014 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Priit Kupper
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, J. Liivi 2, EST-50409 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Arne Sellin
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, J. Liivi 2, EST-50409 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kaido Soosaar
- Department of Geography, Institute of Ecology & Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise, EST-51014 Tartu, Estonia
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Ward ND, Megonigal JP. Researchers barking up (the right) tree find new mechanisms controlling methane transport by woody vegetation. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 242:5-7. [PMID: 38291675 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
This article is a Commentary on Jeffrey et al. (2024), 242: 49–60.
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Affiliation(s)
- N D Ward
- Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 1529 W Sequim Bay Rd, Sequim, WA, 98382, USA
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Box 355351, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - J P Megonigal
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Rd, Edgewater, MD, 21037, USA
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Barba J, Brewer PE, Pangala SR, Machacova K. Methane emissions from tree stems - current knowledge and challenges: an introduction to a Virtual Issue. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:1377-1380. [PMID: 38267825 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
This article is a Commentary on the Virtual Issue ‘Methane emissions from tree stems – current knowledge and challenges’ that includes the following papers: Barba et al. (2019), Bréchet et al. (2021), Covey & Megonigal (2019), Feng et al. (2022), Flanagan et al. (2021), Jeffrey et al. (2019, 2021, 2023), Kohl et al. (2019), Machacova et al. (2021a,b, 2023), Megonigal et al. (2020), Pangala et al. (2013, 2014), Pitz & Megonigal (2017), Plain et al. (2019), Putkinen et al. (2021), Sjögersten et al. (2020), Takahashi et al. (2022), Tenhovirta et al. (2022), Wang et al. (2016), and Yip et al. (2018). Access the Virtual Issue at www.newphytologist.com/virtualissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josep Barba
- CREAF, E-08193, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
- Universitat de Girona, E-17003, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Paul E Brewer
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 84287, USA
| | - Sunitha R Pangala
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Katerina Machacova
- Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-60300, Brno, Czech Republic
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