Methane: Different methane emissions between xerophytes and hydrophytes

Methane (CH₄) emission related to plants is traditionally thought to originate from belowground microbial processes in anaerobic habitats. However, a recent study found aerobic CH₄ emission in plants by a hitherto unrecognized process. Our study investigated the difference in CH₄ emissions between xerophytes and hydrophytes in the temperate grasslands of Inner Mongolia using laboratory incubation. We found that hydrophytes had plant-mediated CH₄ emission while the xerophytes showed plant-derived CH₄ emission. This difference may be explained by distinct mechanisms that were responsible for CH₄ emission. In the temperate grasslands of Inner Mongolia, dominant steppes species such as Leymus chinensis, Stipa grandis and Agropyron cristatum had no or very weak CH₄ emission, while the scarce species such as Achillea frigida, Glyceria spiculosa and Scirpus yagara showed relatively high CH₄ emission. Therefore, the steppes in the temperate grasslands might be less important for regional CH₄ budget.