Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Investigation of the methyl fluoride technique for determining rhizospheric methane oxidation

  • Published:
Biogeochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Methane oxidation rates in the rhizosphere of Pontederia cordata,Sagittaria lancifolia, and Typha latifolia were quantified in fieldstudies using the methyl fluoride inhibition technique. An averageoxidation of 22.9 ± 17.7% (sd,n = 44) was found for all field experiments (oxidation is expressedas a % of total potential emission in the presumedabsence of oxidation). Greenhouse experiments using the same techniquegave an average rhizospheric oxidation of 64.9 ±17.0% (sd, n = 44). Comparison of a subset ofgreenhouse plants with the methyl fluoride (MF) and a light oxic/darkanoxic (LO/DA) technique for suppressing CH4 oxidationyielded similar percentages (57.7 ±15.0% for MF and 58.5 ±13.9% for LO/DA, n = 11). Rhizospheric oxidationdisplayed a seasonal trend in Typha latifolia with decreasingoxidation percentages during warmer months as the importance ofrhizospheric CH4 oxidation declined relative toCH4 emission (46.5 ±13.8% in December and 13.5 ±1.7% in July). However, the absolute rateof methane oxidation was highest during the warmer months (44.2± 3.4 mg m-2 d-1 inDecember and 318.7 ± 151.4 mg m-2d-1 in July). As methane emission rates increased,the sensitivity of the methyl fluoride technique decreased dueto the larger error between replicate flux measurements.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Armstrong J & Armstrong W (1988) Phragmites australis-A preliminary study of soil oxidizing sites and internal gas transport pathways. New Phytologist 108: 373–382

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartlett KB, Crill PM, Sass RL, Harriss RC & Dise NB (1992) Methane emissions from tundra environments in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Alaska. J Geophys Res 97: 16645–16660

    Google Scholar 

  • Bedford BL, Bouldin DR & Beliveau BD (1991) Net oxygen and carbon dioxide balances in solutions bathing roots of wetland plants. J Ecology 77: 943–959

    Google Scholar 

  • Brix H, Sorrell BK & Orr PT (1992) Internal pressurization and convective gas flow in some emergent freshwater macrophytes. Limnol. Oceanogr. 37: 1420–1433

    Google Scholar 

  • Budavari S (Ed) (1989) The Merck Index. Merck & Co., Inc., Rathway, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  • Chanton JP & Dacey JWH (1991) Effects of vegetation on methane flux reservoirs and carbon isotopic composition. In: Sharkey T, Holland E & Mooney H (eds) Trace Gas Emissions from Plants (pp 65–92). Academic Press, San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • Chanton JP, Martens CS & Kelley CA (1989) Gas transport from methane-saturated, tidal freshwater and wetland sediments. Limnol Oceanogr 34: 807–819

    Google Scholar 

  • Chanton JP, Whiting GJ, Showers WJ & Crill PM (1992) Methane flux from Peltandra virginica: stable isotope tracing and chamber effects. Global Biogeochem Cycles 6: 15–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Chanton JP, Whiting GJ, Happell JD & Gerard G (1993) Contrasting rates and diurnal patterns of methane emission from emergent aquatic macrophytes. Aquat Bot 46: 111–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Cicerone RJ & Oremland RS (1988) Biogeochemical aspects of atmospheric methane. Global Biogeochem Cycles 2: 299–327

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman DD, Risatte JB & Schoel M (1981) Fractionation of carbon and hydrogen isotopes by methane-oxidizing bacteria. Geochim et Cosmochim Acta 45: 1033–1037

    Google Scholar 

  • Conrad R (1993) Mechanisms controlling methane emission from wetland rice fields. In: Oremland RS (ed) Biogeochemistry of Global Change (pp 317-335). Chapman and Hall, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Conrad R & Rothfuss F (1991) Methane oxidation in the soil surface layer of a flooed rice field and the effect of ammonium. Biol. Fertil Soils 12: 28–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Crill PM (1991) Seasonal patterns of CH4 uptake and CO2 release by a temperate woodland soil. Global Biogeochem. Cycles 5: 319–334

    Google Scholar 

  • Curl EA & Truelove B (1986) The Rhizosphere. Springer-Verlag, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Dacey JWH (1981) How aquatic plants ventilate. Oceanus 24: 43–51

    Google Scholar 

  • De Bont JAM, Lee KK & Bouldin DF (1978) Bacterial oxidation of methane in a rice paddy. Biol Bull (Stockholm) 26: 91–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Epp MA (1993) Rhizospheric Methane Oxidation. MS Thesis. The Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida

    Google Scholar 

  • Epp MA & Chanton JP (1993) Rhizospheric methane oxidation determined via the methyl fluoride inhibition technique. J Geophys Res 98: 18413–18422

    Google Scholar 

  • Frenzel P, Rothfuss F & Conrad R (1992) Oxygen profiles and methane turnover in a flooded rice microcosm. Biol Fertil Soils 14: 84–89

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerard G (1992) Role of aquatic macrophytes in methane dynamics. MS Thesis. The Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerard G & Chanton JP (1993) Quantification of methane oxidation in the rhizosphere of emergent aquatic macrophytes: defining upper limits. Biogeochem 23: 79–97

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert B & Frenzel P (1995) Methanotrophic bacteria in the rhizosphere of rice microcosms and their effect on porewater methane concentration and methane emission. Biol Fertil Soils 20: 93–102

    Google Scholar 

  • Green MS & Etherington JR (1977) Oxidation of ferrous iron by rice (Oryza sativaL) roots: a mechanism for waterlogging tolerance? J Exp Botany 28: 678–690

    Google Scholar 

  • Happell JD, Chanton JP, Whiting GJ & Showers WS (1993) Stable isotopes as tracers of methane dynamics in Everglades marshes with and without active populations of methane oxidizing bacteria. J Geophys Res 98: 14771–14782

    Google Scholar 

  • Hesslein RH (1976) An in situsampler for close pore water studies. Limnol Oceanogr 21: 912–914

    Google Scholar 

  • Holzapfel-Pschorn A, Conrad R & Seiler W (1985) Production oxidation and emission of methane in rice paddies. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 31: 343–351

    Google Scholar 

  • Holzapfel-Pschorn A, Conrad R & Seiler W (1986) Effects of vegetation on the emission of methane from submerged paddy soil. Plant and Soil 92: 223–233

    Google Scholar 

  • Holzapfel-Pschorn A & Seiler W (1986) Methane emission during a vegetation period from an Italian rice paddy. J Geophys Res 91: 11803–11841

    Google Scholar 

  • King GM (1990a) Regulation by light of methane emission from a wetland. Nature (London) 345: 513–515

    Google Scholar 

  • King GM (1990b) Dynamics and controls of methane oxidation in a Danish wetland sediment. FEMS Microbio Ecol 74: 309–324

    Google Scholar 

  • King GM(1992) Ecological aspects of methane oxidation a key determinant of global methane dynamics. In: Marshall KC (Ed) Advances in Microbial Ecology, Vol. 12 (pp 431-468). Plenum Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • King GM (1994) Associations of Methanotrophs with the Roots and Rhizomes of Aquatic Vegetation. Appl Env Microb 60: 3220–3227

    Google Scholar 

  • King GM, Roslev MP & Skovgaard H (1990) Distribution and rate of methane oxidation in sediments of the Florida Everglades. Appl Env Microb 56: 2902–2911

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovely DR & Woodward JC (1992) Consumption of freons CFC-11 and CFC-12 by anaerobic sediments and soils. Environ. Sci. Tech. 26: 925–929

    Google Scholar 

  • Macfie SM & Crowder AA (1987) Soil factors influencing ferric hydroxide plaque formation on roots of Typha latifoliaL. Plant and Soil 102: 177–184

    Google Scholar 

  • McAuliffe C (1971) Gas chromatographic determination of solutes by multiple phase equilibrium. Chem Technol 1: 46–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrissey LA & Livingston GP (1992) Methane emissions from Alaska arctic tundra: and assessment of local spatial variability. J Geophys Res 97: 16661–16670

    Google Scholar 

  • Oremland RS & Culbertson CW (1992a) Evaluation of methyl fluoride and dimethyl ether as inhibitors of aerobic methane oxidation. Appl Environ Microbiol 58(9): 2983–2992

    Google Scholar 

  • Oremland RS & Culbertson CW (1992b) Importance of methane-oxidizing bacteria in the methane budget as revealed by use of a specific inhibitor. Nature (London) 356: 421–423

    Google Scholar 

  • Oremland RS, Miller LG, Culbertson CA, Connell TL & Jahnke L (1994a) Degradation of Methyl Bromide by Methanotrophic Bacteria in Cell Suspensions and Soils. Appl Environ Microbiol 60(10): 3640–3646

    Google Scholar 

  • Oremland RS, Miller LG & Strohmaler FE (1994b) Degradation of Methyl Bromide in Anaerobic Sediments. Environ Sci Tech 28: 514–520

    Google Scholar 

  • Popp TJ, Chanton JP, Grant NJ & Whiting GJ (1996) Evaluation of Rhizospheric Methane Oxidation in a Boreal Fen (in prep)

  • Reddy KR, Patrick WH & Lindau CW (1989) Nitrification-denitrification at the plant root-sediment interface in wetlands. Limnol Oceanogr 34: 1004–1013

    Google Scholar 

  • Reeburgh WS, Whalen SC & Alperin MJ (1993) The role of methylotrophy in the global methane budget. In: Microbial Growth on C1 Compounds (pp 1-14). Intercept Ltd, Andover Hampshire England

    Google Scholar 

  • Rovira AD (1969) Plant root exudates. The Botanical Review: 35–57

  • Sass RL, Fisher FM & Harcombe PA (1990) Methane production and emission in a Texas rice field. Global Biogeochem Cycles 4: 47–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Sass RL, Fisher FM, Wang YB, Turner FT & Jund MF (1992) Methane emission from rice fields: the effect of floodwater management. Glob Biogeochem Cycles 6: 249–262

    Google Scholar 

  • Schipper LA & ReddyKR(1996) Methane oxidation in the rhizosphere of Sagittaria lancifolia. Soil Sci Soc Amer Journal 40: 611–616

    Google Scholar 

  • Schütz H, Holzapfel-Pschorn A, Rennenberg H, Seiler W & Conrad R (1989b) A three year continuous record on the influence of daytime season and fertilizer treatment on methane emission rates from an Italian Rice Paddy. J Geophys Res 94: 16405–16416

    Google Scholar 

  • Schütz H, Seiler W & Conrad R (1989a) Processes involved in formation and emission of methane in rice paddies. Biogeochem 7: 33–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Sebacher DI, Harriss RC & Bartlett KB (1983) Methane flux across the air-water interface: air velocity effects. Tellus 35B: 103–109

    Google Scholar 

  • Seiler W, Holzapfel-Pschorn A, Conrad R & Scharffe D (1984) Methane emission from rice paddies. J Atmos Chem 1: 241–268

    Google Scholar 

  • Smits AJM, Laan P, Thier RH & Van der Velde G (1990) Root aerenchyma, oxygen leaking patterns and alcoholic fermentation ability of the roots of some nymphaeid and isoetid macrophytes in relation to the sediment type of their habitat. Aquatic botany 38: 3–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyler SC (1991) The global methane budget. In: Rogers JE & Whitman WB (Eds) Methane Nitrogen Oxides and Halomethanes (pp 7-38). American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Whiting GJ & Chanton J (1992) Plant-dependent methane emission in a subarctic Canadian fen. Global Biogeochem Cycles 6: 225–231

    Google Scholar 

  • Whiting GJ & Chanton J (1993) Primary production control of methane emission from wetlands. Nature 364: 794–795

    Google Scholar 

  • Whiting GJ, Chanton J, Bartlett D & Happell J (1991) Methane flux, net primary productivity and biomass relationships in a sub-tropical grassland community. J Geophys Res 96: 13067–13071

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson JO, Crill PM, Bartlett KB, Sebacher DI, Harriss RC & Sass RL (1989) Seasonal variation of methane emissions from a temperate swamp. Biogeochem 8: 55–71

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. MICHELLE A. EPP

    Present address: Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7220

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-3006

    JOANNE E. LOMBARDI

  2. Department of Oceanography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-3048

    MICHELLE A. EPP & JEFFREY P. CHANTON

Authors
  1. JOANNE E. LOMBARDI
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. MICHELLE A. EPP
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. JEFFREY P. CHANTON
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

LOMBARDI, J.E., EPP, M.A. & CHANTON, J.P. Investigation of the methyl fluoride technique for determining rhizospheric methane oxidation. Biogeochemistry 36, 153–172 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005750201264

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005750201264

Search

Navigation