Comparing the variations and influencing factors of CH4 emissions from paddies and wetlands under CO2 enrichment: A data synthesis in the last three decades

Understanding and quantifying the impact of elevated tropospheric carbon dioxide concentration (e [CO₂]) on methane (CH₄) globally is important for effectively assessing and mitigating climate warming. Paddies and wetlands are the two important sources of CH₄ emissions. Yet, a quantitative synthetic investigation of the effects of e [CO₂] on CH₄ emissions from paddies and wetlands on a global scale has not been conducted. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of 488 observation cases from 40 studies to assess the long-term effects of e [CO₂] (ambient [CO₂]+ 53-400 μmol mol^-1) on CH₄ emissions and to identify the relevant key drivers. On aggregate, e [CO₂] increased CH₄ emissions by 25.7% (p < 0.05) from paddies but did not affect CH₄ emissions from wetlands (-3.29%; p > 0.05). The e [CO₂] effects on paddy CH₄ emissions were positively related to that on belowground biomass and soil-dissolved CH₄ content. However, these factors under e [CO₂] resulted in no significant change in CH₄ emissions in wetlands. Particularly, the e [CO₂]-induced abundance of methanogens increased in paddies but decreased in wetlands. In addition, tillering number of rice and water table levels affected e [CO₂]-induced CH₄ emissions in paddies and wetlands, respectively. On a global scale, CH₄ emissions changed from an increase (+0.13 and + 0.86 Pg CO₂-eq yr^-1) under short-term e [CO₂] into a decrease and no changes (-0.22 and + 0.03 Pg CO₂-eq yr^-1) under long-term e [CO₂] in paddies and wetlands, respectively. This suggested that e [CO₂]-induced CH₄ emissions from paddies and wetlands changed over time. Our results not only shed light on the different stimulative responses of CH₄ emissions to e [CO₂] from paddy and wetland ecosystems but also suggest that estimates of e [CO₂]-induced CH₄ emissions from global paddies and wetlands need to account for long-term changes in various regions.

Peatland pines as a proxy for water table fluctuations: disentangling tree growth, hydrology and possible human influence

Dendrochronological investigations of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing on Männikjärve peatland in central Estonia showed that annual tree growth of peatland pines can be used as a proxy for past variations of water table levels. Reconstruction of past water table levels can help us to better understand the dynamics of various ecological processes in peatlands, e.g. the formation of vegetation patterns or carbon and nitrogen cycling. Männikjärve bog has one of the longest water table records in the boreal zone, continuously monitored since 1956. Common uncertainties encountered while working with peatland trees (e.g. narrow, missing and wedging rings) were in our case exacerbated with difficulties related to the instability of the relationship between tree growth and peatland environment. We hypothesized that the instable relationship was mainly due to a significant change of the limiting factor, i.e. the rise of the water table level due to human activity. To test our hypothesis we had to use several novel methods of tree-ring chronology analysis as well as to test explicitly whether undetected missing rings biased our results. Since the hypothesis that the instable relationship between tree growth and environment was caused by a change in limiting factor could not be rejected, we proceeded to find possible significant changes of past water table levels using structural analysis of the tree-ring chronologies. Our main conclusions were that peatland pines can be proxies to water table levels and that there were several shifting periods of high and low water table levels in the past 200 years.