METHANE PRODUCTION IN CANADIAN MUSKEG BOGS by ANN BROWN Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Biology BIBUOTH^QUK OtLA feOtt&wJ of a** University of Ottawa 1989 , Ottawa, Canada, 1989. UMI Number: DC53945 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI® UMI Microform DC53945 Copyright 2011 by ProQuest LLC All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 METHANE PRODUCTION IN CANADIAN MUSKEG BOGS page 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. PEAT DEVELOPMENT 4 2.1 HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF BOG ECOLOGY 2.1.1 Europe 2.1.2 Canada 7 2.2 DISTRIBUTION OF BOGS 10 2.3 ECONOMIC USES OF PEAT 13 2.4 WETLAND SUCCESSION 15 2.4.1 Hydrological Model 2.4.2 Water Chemistry 16 2.4.3 Mire Development 17 2.4.3.1 Minerotrophic Fen 2.4.3.2 Ombrotrophic Bog 18 2.4.3.3 Raised Bogs 19 2.4.3.4 Blanket Bogs 2.4.4 Official Classification 20 2.4.5 Raised Water Table 2.4.5.1 Peat Bog Vegetation 23 2.4.5.2 Peatland Topography 24 2.4.5.3 Erosion of Peat 25 2.4.5.4 Conservation 26 2.5 FORMATION OF PEAT 28 2.5.1 Initial Biomass Composition 2.5.2 Degradation of Biomass 29 2.5.3 Humus Formation 2.5.4 Diagenesis 30 2.6 MICROBIAL REACTIONS 33 2.6.1 Soil Environment 2.6.2 The Natural pH and pe (Eh) Environn t 2.6.3 Degradation of Polysaccharides 36 2.7 METHANOGENESIS 39 2.7.1 Archaebacteria 2.7.2 Methanogenic Bacteria 2.7.3 Production of Methane 41 2.7.4 Inhibition of Methanogenesis 43 2.7.5 Effect of Methane on the Water Table 44 2.7.6 Atmospheric Methane 45 u page 3. ACID TAILINGS 49 3.1 PEAT COVER TO PREVENT ACID-LEACHING FROM MINE TAILINGS 3.1.1 Introduction 3.1.2 Formation of Pyritic Tailings 3.1.3 History 50 3.1.4 Acid Leaching 52 3.1.5 Energy Metabolism 54 3.1.6 Present Methods of Amelioration 3.1.7 Suggested Alternative Method 55 4. BOG ENVIRONMENT 58 4.1 RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ORGANIC SOILS OF THE SOUTHERN CANADIAN SHEILD 4.1.1 Introduction 4.1.2 Methods and Materials 63 4.1.3 Statistical Methods 66 4.1.3.1 Probability Graphs 4.1.3.2 Bivariate Relationships 67 4.1.3.3 Canonical Variate Analysis 4.1.3.4 Ordination by Principal Component Analysis 4.1.3.5 Cluster Analysis 68 4.1.4 Discussion of Results 4.1.4.1 Probability Graphs 4.1.4.2 Bivariate Relationships 74 4.1.4.3 Canonical Variate Analysis 80 4.1.4.4 Principal Component Analysis 82 4.1.4.5 Cluster Analysis 86 4.1.4.6 Multiple Regression 90 4.1.5 Conclusion 91 4.2 MEASUREMENT AND SIGNIFICANCE OF CELLULOSE IN PEAT SOILS 94 4.2.1 Introduction 4.2.2 Materials and Methods 95 4.2.3 Results and Discussion 102 4.2.4 Conclusion 100 4.3 MICROBIAL STUDIES OF MUSKEG BOGS 101 4.3.1 Physiological groups 4.3.1.1 Introduction 4.3.1.2 Materials and Methods 4.3.1.3 Results and Discussion 102 4.3.2 An Enriched Acidophilic Methane-producing Culture 104 4.3.2.1 Introduction 4.3.2.2 Materials and Methods Ul page 4.3.2.3 Results and Discussion 105 4.3.2.4 Conclusion 109 4.4 METHANE PRODUCTION IN MUSKEG BOGS 111 4.4.1 Extraction of methane from peatlands 4.4.1.1 Introduction 4.4.1.2 Pilot Studies 112 4.4.1.3 Methods 4.4.1.4 Results and Discussion 115 4.4.2 Measurement of Methane in Mer Bleue 119 4.4.2.1 Introduction 4.4.2.2 Materials and Methods 120 4.4.2.3 Results 121 4.4.2.4 Discussion 129 5. GENERAL CONCLUSION 132 6. REFERENCES 139 APPENDICES 1. Publications 2. Descriptions of bogs 3. Methods of analysis 4. Probability graphs 5. Scatterplot matrices 6. Cluster analysis of inorganic characteristics 7. Respiration measurements 8. Redox measurements 9. Methane extractions 10. Methane incubations 11. Mixed incubations 12. Calculations FIGURES 1.1 Interplay of different factors in peat development. 2 2.1 Wetlands of the World. 11 2.2 Diagram of a fen. 18 2.3 Diagram of a raised bog. 19 2.4 Biomass degradation. 31 2.5 Approximate pH and Eh zone for peat bogs. 34 2.6 pe-pH diagrams: A - Carbon species; and B - Sulphur species. 35 2.7 Metabolic pathways. 37 2.8 Activated acetic acid pathway. 42 3.1 The pyrite cycle. 50 3.2 Zones of a tailings dump. 52 3.3 Diagram of bog cover for mine tailings. 56 4.1 Locations of sampled bogs: A - General; B - Mer Bleue; 61 C - Sudbury; D - Timmins; and E - Noranda. 62 4.2 Cumulative percentage probability plots showing: A - CEC with normal distribution; and B - Zinc with lognormal distribution. 69 4.3 Cumulative percentage probability plot of 30 copper analyses showing smelter contamination. 70 4.4 Cumulative percentage probability plots of analyses of: 71 A - Iron; B - Calcium; C - Ash; and D - Potassium. 72 4.5 Cumulative percentage probability plot of extracted methane from 17 bogs. 73 4.6 Bivariate correlation between: A - WHC and CEC; and B - Copper and nickel. 75 4.7 Bivariate correlation between: A - Aluminum and potassium; and B - Sum of aluminum and potassium against ash. 76 4.8 Correlation between calcium and magnesium: A - Timmins/Noranda; B - Sudbury/Elliot Lake; and C - Correlation between sum of calcium and magnesium against pH in all areas. 78 4.9 Canonical variate analysis of 30 bogs: A - with 25 variables; and B - with 3 variables. 81 4.10 Principal component analysis of the 30 bogs projected onto: A - The plane of the first two principal components grouped into geographical areas; and B - A perspective view of the first three principal components. 85 4.11 Nearest-neighbour clustering: A - Cluster triangle of all variables of 30 bogs; and B - Clusters from A superimposed on principal components from Figure 4.10. 88 4.12 Clustering by principal coordinate matrix: A - Dendrogram of 30 bogs; and B - Clusters from A superimposed on principal components from Figure 4.10. 89 page 4.13 Correlation of cellulose with: A - Respiration; and B -Rubbed fibre, grouped into geographical areas. 99 4.14 Mean numbers and spores in different physiological groups, at peat surface and at 45 cm depth: A - Histosol; B - Mesisol; and C - Fibrisol. 103 4.15 Enrichment culture of an acidophilic methanogen. 108 4.16 Diagram of the methane sampler. 114 4.17 Percentage of gas extracted from peat bogs over time from four stations: A - Methane; and B - Carbon dioxide. 116 4.18 Amount of methane, in mmoles, extracted during 75 mins from 25 stations in Mer Bleue: A - 60 cm depth; B - 90 cm depth; C - 120 cm depth; and D - Total methane (average). 124 4.19 Cummulative probability plot of 75 analyses of extracted methane from Mer Bleue. 125 4.20 Correlation between the amount of methane extracted, and the amount of methane produced in laboratory incubations, from 12 sites in Mer Bleue. 125 4.21 Percentage composition of cellulose, acid-soluble lignin and residue from 12 sites in Mer Bleue. 128 vi page TABLES 4.1 Analysis of 30 bogs: A - Physical and organic 64 characteristics, B - Inorganic characteristics. 65 4.2 Mahalanobis distances between classes in canonical variate analysis with 25 variables. 80 4.3 First three vectors for correlation matrix for 28 variables from 30 bogs. 83 4.4 Regression coefficients of methane production from 17 bogs. 91 4.5 Distribution of cellulose content, respiration rate and rubbed fibre in 30 bogs. 97 4.6 Media for an acidophilic methanogen. 106 4.7 Gatineau Park and Mer Bleue from 3 depths: A - Amount of water, methane and carbon dioxide extracted; and B - Average masses of methane and carbon dioxide collected, expressed per 100 ml water. 118 4.8 Amount of methane in mmoles extracted from 25 stations at 3 depths from Mer Bleue. 122 4.9 Methane production and substrate analysis in 16 sites from Mer Bleue. 126 vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my grateful thanks to Donn Kushner, Sukhu Mathur and Dennis Sprott who encouraged me during this study, and without whom it could not have been completed. I would also like to thank Brian Agnew, Anton Brown, Henri Dinel, Stewart Hamil, Deborah Katz, Tiiu Kauri, L.P. Lefkovitch, John McNeil, Bob Michelutti, Girsh Patel, Gordon Ritcey, Bruce Sanderson, Richard Siwick, Kathleen Shaw, and Marvin Silver who all helped me in many different ways, both intellectually and physically. Since a number of people were involved in this work, it is appropriate for me to state that I did all the analyses reported except those of the elemental analysis of the peat soils, which were performed by Agriculture Canada, and the enumerations of microbial aerobic physiological groups, which were done by Dr.