Methane Emissions from Freshwater Cypress (Taxodium Distichum) Swamp Soils with Different Hydroperiods in Southwest Florida a Th
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Methane emissions from freshwater cypress (Taxodium distichum) swamp soils with different hydroperiods in Southwest Florida A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences Florida Gulf Coast University In partial Fulfullment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Science By Andrea Pereyra 2015 APPROVAL SHEET This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Andrea Pereyra Approved: December 9, 2015 William J. Mitsch, Ph.D., Advisor Brian Bovard, Ph.D. Shawn E. Clem, Ph.D. The final copy of this thesis [dissertation] has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline.. iii Abstract Wetlands are natural sources of methane (CH4) emissions, with the majority of those releases in tropical and subtropical regions. Land-use modifications can change a wetland’s hydroperiod and hydrologic connectivity, among two important factors controlling methanogenesis. I measured CH4 fluxes from soils in two southwestern Florida cypress (Taxodium) swamps. Three research sites were in a highly protected strand of cypress in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and three were on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University. Campus sites had experienced modifications in land use well before the campus was constructed in the 1990s. Net methane emissions were measured twice daily 10 times from January through December 2014. Mean ± standard error net -2 -1 methane fluxes were 25.9 ± 15.6, 22 ± 21.8, and 49.5 ± 24.7 (mg CH4-C m d ) for the reference bald cypress slough, pond cypress slough and cypress dome, respectively, and 4.0 ± -2 -1 3.8, -1.4 ± 0.8, and 0.5 ± 0.5 (mg CH4-C m d ) for the disturbed pond cypress slough, cypress dome 1 and cypress dome 2, respectively. The only median flux different than 0 was at the -2 -1 reference cypress dome (12.9 mg CH4-C m d ). Fluxes from the reference sites were significantly higher than fluxes from the disturbed sites. Deeper water and higher soil temperatures at the time of sampling, by themselves, did not necessarily explain higher CH4 fluxes. More continuous surface flooding at the reference sites compared to seasonal flooding at the disturbed sites appear to be the main cause for higher methane emissions at the reference sites. iv Dedication I dedicate my research work to my parents. All that I am is because of you. You have taught me to believe in myself and to never lose hope or surrender in the face of adversity. You have raised me to be kind, fair and optimistic. Thanks to you I am a happy decent human being. Thanks for giving me everything and more. If you fail, never give up because F.A.I.L. means "first Attempt In Learning", End is not the end, in fact E.N.D. means "Effort Never Dies" and if you get No as an answer, remember N.O. means "Next Opportunity". So Let's be positive. " Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam v Acknowledgments I would like to start by thanking my advisor and mentor, Dr. William J. Mitsch, for his constant guidance and support during these years. You have taught me to challenge myself and that we all have a great capacity to overcome our own limits if we believe in ourselves. I am also very grateful for my committee members, Dr. Brian Bovard and Dr. Shawn Clem. The interesting discussions we have had throughout these years have kept me motivated and your inputs have considerably improved this paper. Thanks to all of you, for helping me to think outside the box, challenging me to see the big picture and making my graduate research experience a memorable one. This research would not have been possible without the help of my peers and close friends: Li Zhang, Jorge Villa, Alvaro Cabezas, Xiaoyu Li, Connor MacDonnell, Daniel Marchio, Darryl Marois and Frank Bydalek. Thank you for your assistance during the long days in the field and lab, but, foremost for your friendship and love. You welcomed me to this country with open arms, making me feel home. I will not forget our camping trips, beach days and cheese and wine nights after the MOM lectures. Special thanks to Jorge Villa and Alvaro Cabezas for your tutoring while designing my experiment and analyzing my results. Without your help I would probably still be working on my thesis. Also, thanks to Daniel Marchio and Darryl Marois for your help during the writing and for proof-editing some of my chapters. My family back in Lima, Peru has played a substantial role in these past 2.5 years. My success as a graduate student is because of them. Mom and Dad, I am deeply thankful for always believing in me, for never cutting my wings to go after my dreams and for giving me a big smile even when you missed me like crazy. My siblings, Claudia and Gabriel, gave me strength when I was home sick and helped me keep motivated. Thanks for always being there for me, in an vi unconditional manner. Thank you family for coming to visit me and for sending me Peruvian delicacies to ease my cravings. The National Audubon Society’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and its staff, especially Jason Lauritsen granted the permission to sample and assisted me with logistics at the Sanctuary. Thanks to all the friendly volunteers that always made my sampling days more interesting by letting me know about the location of wild animals. It has been a privilege to work in such a beautiful swamp. The Everglades Wetland Research Park (EWRP) at the Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) embraced me as a member of an efficient working team. Being part of the EWRP has given me access to field and lab equipment, but more importantly, to interact with renowned scientists that visited us periodically and during the MOM lectures. I am grateful for my professors at FGCU, especially Dr. Edwin Everham. Thanks for always being available to clarify my doubts and for enjoying a good scientific discussion. To my friends at FGCU and Lima, thanks for the laughs, the long talks and all the good moments shared. The EWRP provided support through the Juliet C. Sproul Endowed Chair for Southwest Florida Habitat Restoration and Management. This research was also partially supported by the National Science Foundation, Award CBET 1033451. Thanks to all the people involved in managing these funds. vii Vita 2006…………………………………………B. S. Biology, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Peru 2006 - 2008…………………………………Field Researcher in Herpetology, Daimi Peru, Lima, Peru 2007…………………………………………Certificate in Quality Management and Environmental Auditing, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Peru 2008 - 2013…………………………………Scientist II, Knight Piésold Consulting, Lima, Peru 2013 - 2015…………………………………Research Assistant, Everglades Wetland Research Park, Florida Gulf Coast University, Naples December, 2015…………………………… M. S. Environmental Science, Florida Gulf Coast University Publications Pereyra, A., and W. J. Mitsch. In review. Methane emissions from freshwater cypress (Taxodium distichum) swamp soils with different hydroperiods in Southwest Florida. Limnology and Oceanography. viii Chavez, G., Medina-Muller, M., Pereyra, A. 2008. Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae, Osteocephalus leoniae: Distribution extension. Checklist Journal 4(4): 403. Published abstracts Pereyra, A., and W. J. Mitsch. 2015. Methane emissions from freshwater swamp soils with different hydroperiods. Abstract at Society of Wetland Scientists annual conference. Pereyra, A., and W. J. Mitsch. 2015. Methane emissions from freshwater swamp soils with different hydroperiods. Abstract at Florida Lake Management Society annual symposium. Field of study Major field: Environmental Science Area of specialization: Wetland ecology ix Table of contents Abstract iii Dedication iv Acknowledgments v Vita vii 1. Introduction 1 2. Materials and Methods 5 2.1 Study sites 5 2.2 Methane sampling 7 2.3 Laboratory analysis 9 2.4 Data analysis 10 3. Results 12 3.1 Precipitation, water levels and soil temperature 12 3.2 Methane fluxes 13 3.3 Relationship of CH4 fluxes to physiochemistry 14 4. Discussion 16 4.1 Methane fluxes 16 4.2 Methane oxidation 18 4.3 Discontinuities in methane emissions and ebullition 18 4.4 Methane fluxes and hydrology 19 4.5. Comparison within swamps 20 4. 6 Methane fluxes and soil temperature 21 4. 7 Study significance 21 5. Conclusions 23 x References 25 Figures and Tables 33 Appendix A 44 Appendix B 46 1 Chapter 1 Introduction Methane is a greenhouse gas (GHG) that, once in the atmosphere, affects the radiation balance of the Earth. Each molecule has a global warming potential (GWP) of 28 times that of carbon dioxide molecules after 100 years (Pachauri et al. 2015). Methane has been estimated to have more than doubled from 720 ppb in preindustrial times to current levels over 1800 ppb; most of the sources for this increase (68 - 70%) are anthropogenic (Mitsch and Gosselink 2015). Several studies have demonstrated the atmospheric concentration of CH4 increased by about 13% between 1978 and 1999 (Khalil and Rasmussen 1990; Dlugokencky et al. 2001; Cunnold et al. 2002). Currently on the planet, wetlands are described as the most important natural source of CH4 emissions releasing 170 Tg CH4 annually to the atmosphere (Whalen 2005; Bloom et al. 2010; Bridgham et al. 2013). Recent studies have estimated that half or more of wetland CH4 emissions originate from tropical wetlands (Bloom et al. 2010). In wetlands, CH4 is formed under anaerobic conditions by microbial decomposition of organic matter (van Amstel and Swart 1994), and it is consumed by CH4 oxidizing microbes in aerobic environments (Whalen 2005). The net budget between production and consumption determines the rate of methane release into the atmosphere.