In:
Scientific Reports, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Vol. 6, No. 1 ( 2016-03-21)
Abstract:
Boreal forests comprise 73% of the world’s coniferous forests. Based on forest floor measurements, they have been considered a significant natural sink of methane (CH 4 ) and a natural source of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), both of which are important greenhouse gases. However, the role of trees, especially conifers, in ecosystem N 2 O and CH 4 exchange is only poorly understood. We show for the first time that mature Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) trees consistently emit N 2 O and CH 4 from both stems and shoots. The shoot fluxes of N 2 O and CH 4 exceeded the stem flux rates by 16 and 41 times, respectively. Moreover, higher stem N 2 O and CH 4 fluxes were observed from wet than from dry areas of the forest. The N 2 O release from boreal pine forests may thus be underestimated and the uptake of CH 4 may be overestimated when ecosystem flux calculations are based solely on forest floor measurements. The contribution of pine trees to the N 2 O and CH 4 exchange of the boreal pine forest seems to increase considerably under high soil water content, thus highlighting the urgent need to include tree-emissions in greenhouse gas emission inventories.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2045-2322
Language:
English
Publisher:
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication Date:
2016
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2615211-3
