Methane Consumption in Temperate and Subarctic Forest Soils: Rates, Vertical Zonation, and Responses to Water and Nitrogen

• Published in: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
• Main Authors: Adamsen, A. P. S., King, G. M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Society for Microbiology 1993
• Subjects: Subarctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.59.2.485-490.1993; https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/aem.59.2.485-490.1993

Rates of methane consumption were measured in subarctic coniferous and temperate mixed-hardwood forest soils, using static chambers and intact soil cores. Rates at both sites were generally between 1 and 3 mg of CH 4 m -2 day -1 and decreased with increasing soil water contents above 20%. Addition of ammonium (1 μmol g of soil -1 ) strongly inhibited methane oxidation in the subarctic soils; a lesser inhibition was observed for temperate forest samples. The response to nitrogen additions occurred within a few hours and was probably due to physiological changes in the active methane-consuming populations. Methane consumption in soils from both sites was stratified vertically, with a pronounced subsurface maximum. This maximum was coincident with low levels of both nitrate and ammonium in the mixed-hardwood forest soil.