Net exchange of greenhouse gases from soils in an unimproved pasture and regenerating indigenous Kunzea ericoides shrubland in New Zealand
Sally Price A B C , David Whitehead A , Robert Sherlock B , Tony McSeveny A and Graeme Rogers AA Landcare Research, PO Box 40, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand.
B Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, PO Box 84, Lincoln University 7647, New Zealand.
C Corresponding author. Emails: sally.price@lincoln.ac.nz; sjpricenz@yahoo.com
Australian Journal of Soil Research 48(5) 385-394 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR09156
Submitted: 31 August 2009 Accepted: 14 April 2010 Published: 6 August 2010
Abstract
Monthly measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes were made at 3 sites along a sequence of naturally regenerating Kunzea ericoides shrubland in New Zealand, consisting of unimproved pasture (UP), young (8–12 years) Kunzea trees (YK), and old (80 years) Kunzea trees (OK). The CO2 flux at a base temperature of 10°C was highest at the OK site (0.51 g CO2/m2.h) and lowest at the UP site (0.26 g CO2/m2.h). Values of CO2 flux were regulated by soil temperature (Ts) throughout the year, and water availability modified the response to Ts when root-zone water content, (θ), fell below 0.27–0.29 m3/m3 in spring and summer. The soils were mostly CH4 sinks, although there were net CH4 emissions during wet periods at the YK site. The maximum CH4 flux at the YK site was –49.7 μg CH4/m2.h compared with –33.4 μg CH4/m2.h for the UP (and –90.4 μg CH4/m2.h for OK), indicating the potential for rapid recovery of methanotrophic populations in the YK shrubland over 8–12 years. However, on an annual basis our data suggest that CH4 oxidation rates decrease as land reverts from unimproved pasture to shrubland. Methane oxidation rates were strongly dependent on θ and only weakly dependent on Ts. Measurements of N2O fluxes were below the minimum detectable limit throughout the year at the UP and YK sites, and low but dependent on both Ts and θ at the OK site.
Annual estimates of soil CO2 flux were 39.9, 23.3, and 21.9 × 103 kg CO2/ha.year at the OK, YK, and UP sites, respectively. All 3 sites were a net sink for CH4, with the highest oxidation rate of –5.1 kg CH4/ha.year at the OK site compared with –1.52 kg CH4/ha.year at the UP site. On a CO2-equivalent basis, the OK site was a greater CH4 sink (–127.3 kg CO2-e/ha.year) than a N2O source (77.5 kg CO2-e/ha.year), demonstrating the potential for soils to oxidise CH4 with forest succession as a possible mitigation strategy for land managers to reduce net emissions.
Additional keywords: carbon dioxide, methane, methane oxidation, respiration, nitrous oxide, land use change.
Acknowledgments
SJP wishes to dedicate this paper to the fond memory of her father. SJP acknowledges financial support for this work from a New Zealand Science and Technology Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Plan of Action Programme. We thank Martin Tickner for generously allowing us access to the sites on his property, analytical services provided by Lincoln University, advice from Trevor Webb on the soil properties at the sites, Danny Thornburrow for the analysis of soil physical properties, Guy Forrester and Greg Arnold for statistical assistance, and Kevin Tate for his helpful suggestions to improve the manuscript.
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