Contrasting controls on tree methane emissions in upland and wetland forests

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The study investigated environmental and physiological controls on methane (CH₄) flux from trees by combining 1,640 stem-chamber measurements (2023–2025) with tower meteorology, soil moisture and temperature monitoring, water table data, and non-destructive wood condition imaging in upland versus wetland forests. Wetland trees emitted about 40-fold more CH₄ than upland trees, and in wetlands a three-way interaction among soil temperature, water table depth, and species explained 65% of flux variance, consistent with soil-derived CH₄ transport through stems; a wetland specialist (Nyssa sylvatica) emitted substantially more CH₄ than co-occurring generalists. In uplands, CH₄ flux showed minimal environmental control (R² < 9%), with most variation attributed to unexplained temporal changes within individual trees, suggesting near-equilibrium competing methanogenic and methanotrophic processes. Internal wood decay had opposite effects by site—enhancing emissions in uplands while reducing net emissions in wetlands—though the paper does not provide an explicit limitation beyond its observational/variance accounting approach. The paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

Trees can produce, consume, transport, and emit methane (CH₄), yet the environmental controls and mechanisms underlying these fluxes remain poorly understood. We combined 1,640 stem-chamber observations (2023–2025) with tower-based meteorology, soil moisture and temperature networks, water table monitoring, and non-destructive tomography to test how hydrology, energy balance, species identity, and internal wood condition regulate stem CH₄ flux. Wetland trees emitted approximately 40-fold more CH₄ than upland trees (1.96 vs. 0.05 nmol m⁻² s⁻¹). At the wetland, a three-way interaction between soil temperature, water table depth, and species explained 65% of flux variance, consistent with soil-derived CH₄ transport through stems. The wetland specialist Nyssa sylvatica emitted an order of magnitude more CH₄ than co-occurring generalists, likely reflecting flood-tolerance adaptations that enhance gas transport. In contrast, upland fluxes showed minimal environmental control (R² < 9%), with most variance occurring as unexplained temporal variation within individual trees—a pattern suggesting competing methanogenic and methanotrophic processes operating near equilibrium. Internal wood condition, assessed via acoustic and electrical resistance tomography, had opposite effects across sites: decay increased emissions in upland trees, likely by creating anaerobic microsites for in situ production, while decay decreased net emissions in wetland trees, likely by impairing transport of soil-derived CH₄ more than it enhanced in situ production. Together, these results indicate that the dominant controls on tree CH₄ flux differ fundamentally between wetland and upland forests, underscoring the need to represent hydrologic setting, species composition, and tree condition when scaling forest CH₄ contributions to regional budgets.
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Abstract Trees can produce, consume, transport, and emit methane (CH₄), yet the environmental controls and mechanisms underlying these fluxes remain poorly understood. We combined 1,640 stem-chamber observations (2023–2025) with tower-based meteorology, soil moisture and temperature networks, water table monitoring, and non-destructive tomography to test how hydrology, energy balance, species identity, and internal wood condition regulate stem CH₄ flux. Wetland trees emitted approximately 40-fold more CH₄ than upland trees (1.96 vs. 0.05 nmol m⁻² s⁻¹). At the wetland, a three-way interaction between soil temperature, water table depth, and species explained 65% of flux variance, consistent with soil-derived CH₄ transport through stems. The wetland specialist Nyssa sylvatica emitted an order of magnitude more CH₄ than co-occurring generalists, likely reflecting flood-tolerance adaptations that enhance gas transport. In contrast, upland fluxes showed minimal environmental control (R² < 9%), with most variance occurring as unexplained temporal variation within individual trees—a pattern suggesting competing methanogenic and methanotrophic processes operating near equilibrium. Internal wood condition, assessed via acoustic and electrical resistance tomography, had opposite effects across sites: decay increased emissions in upland trees, likely by creating anaerobic microsites for in situ production, while decay decreased net emissions in wetland trees, likely by impairing transport of soil-derived CH₄ more than it enhanced in situ production. Together, these results indicate that the dominant controls on tree CH₄ flux differ fundamentally between wetland and upland forests, underscoring the need to represent hydrologic setting, species composition, and tree condition when scaling forest CH₄ contributions to regional budgets.

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