Effects of global change on methane uptake in forest soils and its mechanisms: A review

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.201902.028

Abstract

Abstract: Elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration, altered precipitation regime, increased nitrogen deposition, and land cover change have not only changed the physical and chemical properties of forest soils, but also affected plant growth and microbial activity, with concequences on soil carbon and nitrogen cycles, including soil CH₄ uptake. In this study, we summarized the important role of soil CH₄ uptake in forests under global change scenarios. The differences of responses as well as the underlying mechanisms of soil CH₄ uptake in forests to global change were reviewed. Elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration inhibits soil CH₄ uptake. Reduced precipitation tends to promote soil CH₄ uptake. Increased nitrogen input inhibits soil CH₄ uptake in nitrogen-rich forests, but promotes or has no effects on soil CH₄ uptake in nitrogen-poor forests. Conversion of forests to grassland, farmland, or plantations would reduce soil CH₄ uptake, while afforestation increases soil CH₄ uptake. The future research should explore the long-term and multiple effects of global changes on forest soil CH₄ uptake. In addition, molecular biology methods should be developed to explore the microbial mechanism of soil CH₄ uptake.

Key words: forest soil, responding mechanism, global change, CH₄ uptake

HE Shan, LIU Juan, JIANG Pei-kun, ZHOU Guo-mo, LI Yong-fu. Effects of global change on methane uptake in forest soils and its mechanisms: A review[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2019, 30(2): 677-684.

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