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TECHNICAL REPORT
Atmospheric Pollutants and Trace Gases

Methane Oxidation and Production Activity in Soils from Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems

^a Dep. of Microbiology, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA 50011
^b USDA-ARS, National Soil Tilth Lab., 2150 Pammel Drive, Ames, IA 50011

* Corresponding author (parkin{at}nstl.gov)

Received for publication December 8, 2000. Methane (CH₄) flux from soil to the atmosphere is the result of two microbial processes, methanogenesis and CH₄ oxidation. Land use may have a profound impact on the relative activities of these groups of organisms. In this study, the CH₄ production and consumption potentials of soils from agricultural and nonagricultural ecosystems were assessed in laboratory incubations. Methane production potentials of most soils were low and in the range of 0.02 to 0.35 nmol CH₄ g soil^-1 h^-1; however, soils from two of the agricultural sites that experience periodic water saturation had CH₄ production potentials from 100 to 300 nmol CH₄ g soil^-1 h^-1. The high methanogenic potential suggests that CH₄ consumers may not be wholly dependent on atmospheric CH₄ for their survival and maintenance. The prairie soils exhibited the highest CH₄ oxidation under ambient atmospheric CH₄ concentrations, and CH₄ oxidation activity was markedly enhanced in incubations with an atmosphere enriched in CH₄. This stimulated CH₄ oxidation activity was generally greater in the agricultural soils as compared with the forest and prairie soils. Methane oxidation appeared to be related to soil nitrogen status. Under ambient atmospheric CH₄ concentrations, CH₄ oxidation was negatively related to soil mineral N concentration. However, a positive relationship between soil mineral N status and CH₄ oxidation activity was observed in incubations with atmospheres enriched in CH₄. This pattern suggests that the agricultural lands contain different populations of CH₄ oxidizers than the natural systems.

Abbreviations: DT50, time required for 50% of the initial headspace CH₄ to disappear

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