Kotowska, M. & Werner, F.A. (2013): <b>Environmental controls over methane emissions from bromeliad phytotelmata: The role of phosphorus and nitrogen availability, temperature, and water content</b>. <i>GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES</i> <b>27</b>, 1-8.
Resource Description
Title:
Environmental controls over methane emissions from bromeliad phytotelmata: The role of phosphorus and nitrogen availability, temperature, and water content
FOR816dw ID:
1317
Publication Date:
2013-11-13
License and Usage Rights:
PAK 823-825 data user agreement. (www.tropicalmountainforest.org/dataagreementp3.do)
Resource Owner(s):
Individual:
Martyna Kotowska
Contact:
email:
KOTMA <at> gmx.net
Individual:
Florian A. Werner
Contact:
email:
florianwerner <at> yahoo.com
AG Funktionelle Ökologie
Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften
Universität Oldenburg
Postfach (P.O. box) 2503
D-26111 Oldenburg
Abstract:
Tank bromeliads are common epiphytic plants throughout neotropical forests that store<br/>
signi?cant amounts of water in phytotelmata (tanks) formed by highly modi?ed leafs.<br/>
Methanogenic archaea in these tanks have recently been identi?ed as a signi?cant source of<br/>
atmospheric methane. We address the effects of environmental drivers (temperature, tank<br/>
water content, sodium phosphate [P], and urea [N] addition) on methane production in<br/>
anaerobically incubated bromeliad slurry and emissions from intact bromeliad tanks in<br/>
montane Ecuador. N addition ? 1 mg g 1 had a signi?cantly positive effect on headspace<br/>
methane concentrations in incubation jars while P addition did not affect methane<br/>
production at any dosage (? 1 mg g 1 ). Tank bromeliads (Tillandsia complanata) cultivated<br/>
in situ showed signi?cantly increased ef?uxes of methane in response to the addition of<br/>
26 mg N addition per tank but not to lower dosage of N or any dosage of P (? 5.2 mg plant 1 ).<br/>
There was no signi?cant interaction between N and P addition. The brevity of the<br/>
stimulatory effect of N addition on plant methane ef?uxes (1–2 days) points at N<br/>
competition by other microorganisms or bromeliads. Methane ef?ux from plants closely<br/>
followed within-day temperature ?uctuations over 24 h cycles, yet the dependency of<br/>
temperature was not exponential as typical for terrestrial wetlands but instead linear. In<br/>
simulated drought, methane emission from bromeliad tanks was maintained with minimum<br/>
amounts of water and regained after a short lag phase of approximately 24 h. Our results<br/>
suggest that methanogens in bromeliads are primarily limited by N and that direct effects of<br/>
global change (increasing temperature and seasonality, remote fertilization) on bromeliad<br/>
methane emissions are of moderate scale.
email:
florianwerner <at> yahoo.com
AG Funktionelle Ökologie
Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften
Universität Oldenburg
Postfach (P.O. box) 2503
D-26111 Oldenburg
