我国学者在青藏高原生态系统甲烷排放研究方面取得重要成果

On Study about Methane Emissions by Plant Communities in The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

中国科学院西北高原生物研究所网页上发布信息：“《自然》等著名学术刊物、媒体报道我国科学家在青藏高原生态系统甲烷排放研究方面的最新成果”（http：／／www．nwipb．ac．cn／xwzx／zhxw／200808／t20080829—1674857．html）报道，高寒草甸植物能够释放甲烷，但是草本植物群落和木本植物群落释放甲烷的模式存在差异。

we report here methane emissions by plant communities in alpine ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This has been achieved through long-term field observations from June 2003 to July 2006 using a closed chamber technique. Strong methane emis- sion at the rate of 26.2G1.2 and 7.8G1.1 mg CH4 mL2 hL1 was observed for a grass community in a Kobresia humilis meadow and a Potentilla fruticosa meadow, respectively. A shrub community in the Potentilla meadow consumed atmospheric methane at the rate of 5.8G1.3 mg CH4 mL2 hL1 on a regional basis; plants from alpine meadows contribute at least 0.13 Tg CH4 yrL1 in the Tibetan Plateau. This finding has important implications with regard to the regional methane budget and species-level difference should be considered when assessing methane emissions by plants.