CH4 dynamics via plant- and water- pathways in tropical rice paddy fields evaluated by stable carbon isotopes
Abstract
Rice paddy fields are one of the major anthropogenic methane (CH4) sources during irrigated growth periods. CH4 produced in anaerobic flooded soil is released into the atmosphere through plant- and water-mediated pathways, and the CH4 emission dynamics are mainly regulated by CH4 production, oxidation and transportation. In the past, most CH4 emission studies have neglected to discriminate between plant- and water-mediated pathways. However, understanding and quantifying the different pathways is elemental for comprehending CH4 emission dynamics and constraining uncertainties CH4 budget estimates in global rice paddy fields. We investigated CH4 emission dynamics via plant- and water-mediated pathways during the reproduction stage in tropical Thailand rice paddy fields in 2014 using natural abundance carbon stable isotope ratios (δ13C-CH4and δ13C-CO2). The CH4 flux and δ13C-CH4 through each pathway were measured using two automated closed chambers. The CH4 concentration and δ13C-CH4 in the chamber headspace air were analyzed using a wavelength-scanned cavity ring-down spectroscopy CH4/CO2 analyzer (G2201-i, Picarro Inc., USA). The gases in planted and unplanted soil (rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere, respectively) were collected using diffusive equilibration samplers and analyzed by G2201-i. The soil gases in the rhizosphere were enriched with 13CH4 and 12CO2 relative to those in the non-rhizosphere. Mass-balance equations showed that the fractions of CH4 oxidation and production by acetoclastic methanogens in the rhizosphere surpassed those in the non-rhizosphere due to oxygen supply and organic materials through rice roots, respectively. The values of δ13C-CH4 emitted via plant in the daytime were higher than those in the nighttime, reflecting higher CH4 oxidation rates in the rhizosphere during the daytime. In the daytime, even with the rhizospheric CH4 oxidation, the plant-mediated CH4 emission rates were higher than in the nighttime. This could be due to the increase in CH4 transportation conductance through rice plants due to the increase in soil surface temperature and the decrease in atmospheric pressure. Also the water-mediated CH4 emissions were higher in the daytime than in the nighttime. However, in contrast to the plant-mediated pathway, the daytime δ13C values of CH4 emitted via water were lower than the nighttime values. This indicates that bubble ebullition events in the daytime transported 12C-enriched CH4 without being largely affected by CH4 oxidation, whereas diffusion processes and soil surface oxidation in the nighttime produced 12C-depleted CH4. Our research shows that diurnal variations of emitted δ13C-CH4 via plant are contrary to those via water due to the differences in CH4 transportation and oxidation processes, and that rice roots play a key role in affecting CH4 oxidation and production in paddy soil.
- Publication:
-
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- April 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018EGUGA..20.8419K