Springtime soil and tree stem greenhouse gas fluxes and the related soil microbiome pattern in a drained peatland forest

Abstract

Spring can be a critical time of year for stem and soil methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as soil freeze–thaw events can be hot moments of gas release. Greenhouse gas fluxes from soil, Downy birch (Betula pubescens) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) stems were quantified using chamber systems and gas analysers in spring 2023 in a northern drained peatland forest. Dissolved gas concentrations in birch sap and soil water, environmental parameters, soil chemistry, and functional gene abundances in the soil were determined. During spring, initially low soil and stem CH4, N2O, and CO2 emissions increased towards late April. Temperature emerged as the primary driver of soil and stem fluxes, alongside photosynthetically active radiation influencing stem fluxes. Soil hydrologic conditions had minimal short-term impact. No clear evidence linked stem CH4 emissions to birch sap gas concentrations, while relationships existed for CO2. Functional gene abundances of the N and CH4-cycles changed between measurement days. Potential for methanogenesis and complete denitrification was higher under elevated soil water content, shifting to methanotrophy and incomplete denitrification as the study progressed. However, our results highlight the need for further analysis of relationships between microbial cycles and GHG fluxes under different environmental conditions, including identifying soil microbial processes in soil layers where tree roots absorb water.