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Plant Soil (2013) 364:287301 DOI 10.1007/s11104-012-1359-4
REGULAR ARTICLE
Inundation strongly stimulates nitrous oxide emissions from stems of the upland tree Fagus sylvaticaand the riparian tree Alnus glutinosa
Katerina Machacova & Hans Papen & Jrgen Kreuzwieser & Heinz Rennenberg
Received: 12 April 2012 /Accepted: 30 June 2012 /Published online: 14 July 2012 # Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012
AbstractBackground and aims Nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) can be emitted from surfaces of riparian plants. Data on the emission of these greenhouse gases by upland trees are scarce. We quantified CH4 and
N2O emissions from stems of Fagus sylvatica, an upland tree, and Alnus glutinosa, a riparian tree. Methods The gas fluxes were investigated in mesocosms under non-flooded control conditions and during a flooding period using static chamber systems and gas chromatographic analyses.
Results Despite differences in the presence of an aerenchyma system, both tree species emitted N2O and
CH4 from the stems. Flooding caused a dramatic transient increase of N2O stem emissions by factors of 740 (A. glutinosa) and even 14,230 (F. sylvatica). Stem emissions of CH4 were low and even deposition was determined (F. sylvatica controls). The results suggest that CH4 was transported mainly through the aerenchyma, whereas N2O transport occurred in the xylem sap.
Conclusions For the first time it has been demonstrated that upland trees such as F. sylvatica clearly significantly emit N2O from their stems despite lacking an aerenchyma. If this result is confirmed in adult trees, upland forests may constitute a new and significant source of atmospheric N2O.
Keywords Methane . Nitrous oxide . Soil and stem emission . Alnus glutinosa . Fagus sylvatica . Flooding
Introduction
Together with carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are the most important greenhouse gases contributing to global climate change. Due to anthropogenic activities, the concentration of CH4 and N2O increased from 700 ppb to 1,774 ppb and from 270 ppb to 319 ppb in 2005, respectively, since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 19th century (Forster et al. 2007).
Responsible Editor: Paul Bodelier.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1359-4
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K. Machacova : J. Kreuzwieser (*) : H. Rennenberg...