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The Relationship Between Termite Mound CH4/CO2 Emissions

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The Relationship Between Termite Mound CH4/CO2 Emissions Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Biogeosciences Discuss., 9, 17313–17345, 2012 www.biogeosciences-discuss.net/9/17313/2012/ Biogeosciences doi:10.5194/bgd-9-17313-2012 Discussions BGD © Author(s) 2012. CC Attribution 3.0 License. 9, 17313–17345, 2012 This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Biogeosciences (BG). The relationship Please refer to the corresponding final paper in BG if available. between termite mound CH4/CO2 The relationship between termite mound emissions H. Jamali et al. CH4/CO2 emissions and internal concentration ratios are species specific Title Page H. Jamali1,2, S. J. Livesley3, L. B. Hutley4, B. Fest2, and S. K. Arndt2 Abstract Introduction Conclusions References 1Landcare Research, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand 2 Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3121, Tables Figures Australia 3Department of Geography and Resource Management, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3121, Australia J I 4Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, NT 0909, Australia J I Received: 6 November 2012 – Accepted: 22 November 2012 – Published: 7 December 2012 Back Close Correspondence to: H. Jamali ([email protected]) and Full Screen / Esc S. J. Livesley ([email protected]) Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. Printer-friendly Version Interactive Discussion 17313 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Abstract BGD 1. We investigated the relative importance of CH4 and CO2 fluxes from soil and termite mounds at four different sites in the tropical savannas of Northern Aus- 9, 17313–17345, 2012 tralia near Darwin and assessed different methods to indirectly predict CH4 fluxes 5 based on CO2 fluxes and internal gas concentrations. The relationship between termite 2. The annual flux from termite mounds and surrounding soil was dominated by CO2 with large variations among sites. On a CO -e basis, annual CH flux estimates mound CH4/CO2 2 4 emissions from termite mounds were 5- to 46-fold smaller than the concurrent annual CO2 flux estimates. Differences between annual soil CO2 and soil CH4 (CO2-e) fluxes H. Jamali et al. 10 were even greater, soil CO2 fluxes being almost three orders of magnitude greater than soil CH4 (CO2-e) fluxes at site. Title Page 3. There were significant relationships between mound CH4 flux and mound CO2 flux, enabling the prediction of CH4 flux from measured CO2 flux, however, these Abstract Introduction relationships were clearly termite species specific. Conclusions References 15 4. We also observed significant relationships between mound flux and gas concen- Tables Figures tration inside mound, for both CH4 and CO2, and for all termite species, thereby enabling the prediction of flux from measured mound internal gas concentration. However, these relationships were also termite species specific. Using the rela- J I tionship between mound internal gas concentration and flux from one species to J I 20 predict mound fluxes from other termite species (as has been done in past) would result in errors of more than 5-fold for CH4 and 3-fold for CO2. Back Close 5. This study highlights that CO2 fluxes from termite mounds are generally more Full Screen / Esc than one order of magnitude greater than CH4 fluxes. There are species-specific relationships between CH4 and CO2 fluxes from a mound, and between the inside Printer-friendly Version 25 mound concentration of a gas and the mound flux emission of the same gas, but these relationships vary greatly among termite species. Consequently, there is no Interactive Discussion 17314 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | generic relationship that will allow for the prediction of CH4 fluxes from termite mounds of all species. BGD 9, 17313–17345, 2012 1 Introduction The relationship Savannas cover 20 % of global land surface and produce almost 30 % of global net between termite 5 primary production (Hutley and Setterfield, 2008; Grace et al., 2006), thus playing an mound CH /CO important role in the global carbon cycle. An important component of the carbon and 4 2 emissions greenhouse gas balance of savanna ecosystems is the exchange of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4). Methane exchange in tropical savannas is dominated by fire emis- H. Jamali et al. sions (Russell-Smith et al., 2009), with soil-derived fluxes being of smaller magnitude. 10 Soil-derived CH4 fluxes are the net product of soil CH4 oxidation (Livesley et al., 2011) by methanotrophic bacteria under aerobic soil conditions and soil CH4 production by Title Page methanogenic bacteria under anaerobic soil conditions and from termite gut bacteria (Jamali et al., 2011c). Within the savanna landscape, seasonally inundated soils or Abstract Introduction ephemeral wetlands are likely to be a significant source of CH4 emission into the at- Conclusions References 15 mosphere, although the magnitude of this emission is unknown for North Australian savannas. Many of these processes are poorly quantified, both spatially and tempo- Tables Figures rally, which lead to large uncertainties regarding the regional to global scale methane budget of savannas (Brummer¨ et al., 2009). J I Termites play a critical role in nutrient cycling in savannas, particularly Australian J I 20 savannas, which often lack dominant grazing and browsing mega-fauna, but these ter- mites can also be a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions of CH4 Back Close from termites are usually highlighted more than emissions of CO2 (Bignell et al., 1997; Fraser et al., 1986; MacDonald et al., 1998; Sanderson, 1996; Jamali et al., 2011a–c) Full Screen / Esc because of their significant contribution to the CH4 balance of savanna ecosystems as Printer-friendly Version 25 compared to their negligible contribution to savanna CO2 balance. However, the gen- eral assumption that CH is the largest emitted greenhouse gas from termites may not 4 Interactive Discussion be realistic. For example, in an African savanna, mound CH4 emissions measured 17315 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | from one termite species contributed 8.8 % to the total (soil + mounds) CH4 emis- sions of that landscape, whereas termite CO2 emissions contributed 0.4 % to the total BGD (soil + mounds) CO2 emissions (Brummer¨ et al., 2009). However, in carbon dioxide −1 −1 9, 17313–17345, 2012 equivalents (CO2-e), termite mound emissions of CH4 (∼ 7 kg CO2-e ha yr ) were −1 −1 5 an order of magnitude smaller than termite emissions of CO2 (∼ 73 kg CO2-e ha yr ) (Brummer¨ et al., 2009). Therefore, it is important to investigate and highlight the rel- The relationship between termite ative contribution of CH4 and CO2 emissions to net greenhouse gas emissions from termites and the savanna landscape. mound CH4/CO2 emissions There is a general consensus that termite mounds are a large point source of CH4 10 and CO when compared to adjacent soils (Jamali et al., 2011a; Brummer¨ et al., 2009; 2 H. Jamali et al. Seiler et al., 1984; Khalil et al., 1990; MacDonald et al., 1998), but their contribution at plot to site and regional scales is highly uncertain because of variable mound density and species di erences. There are limited studies that have investigated CH fluxes ff 4 Title Page from termites in the field, particularly in the tropics, due to the challenges associated 15 with making such measurements, which rely on specialised chamber installations of- Abstract Introduction ten in remote locations. An indirect method for estimating CH4 fluxes from intact ter- Conclusions References mite mounds could be based on the relationship between mound CO2 flux and mound CH4 flux. Fluxes of CO2 can be measured more cheaply and relatively easily using an Tables Figures Infrared Gas Analyser (IRGA), whereas, CH4 fluxes are most often measured through 20 conventional syringe gas sampling and concentration analysis through gas chromatog- J I raphy back in a laboratory. In a laboratory experiment, Jamali et al. (2011b) demonstrated that CH4 and CO2 J I emissions from a termite species, M. nervosus, were a strong function of termite Back Close biomass. Therefore, we hypothesize a good correlation between CH4 and CO2 emis- 25 sions from termites and termite mounds, which will make it possible to use “easier- Full Screen / Esc to-measure” CO2 fluxes for predicting mound CH4 fluxes. Another indirect method for estimating mound CH4 flux could be based on the relationship between mound CH4 Printer-friendly Version flux and CH4 concentration inside that mound (Khalil et al., 1990). If valid, the advan- Interactive Discussion tage of this method is that it takes into account the proportion of CH4 produced inside 17316 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | a mound by termites that is not emitted to the atmosphere due to both the gas diffusion barrier imposed by mound wall and CH4 oxidation by methanotrophs in mound wall ma- BGD terial (Sugimoto et al., 1998). However, it is not clear if the relationship between mound 9, 17313–17345, 2012 CH4 flux and CH4 concentration inside a mound is consistent among different species, 5 as assumed by Khalil et al. (1990). The same approach may also be used to predict mound CO2 fluxes. Additionally, given the possible correlation between mound CH4 The relationship flux and mound CO2 flux, we also hypothesize a correlation between mound CH4 flux between termite and CO2 concentration inside mounds which should enable the prediction of mound mound CH4/CO2 CH4 flux by only measuring CO2 concentration inside a mound. emissions 10 Objectives of this study were: H. Jamali et al. 1. To study the relative importance of CH4 and CO2 emissions from termite mounds at four savanna sites with variable mound density and termite species distribution. Title Page 2. To study the relative importance of CH4 and CO2 fluxes from soils at four savanna sites.
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