Greenhouse gases, including methane (CH₄) and (N₂O), are trapping increasing levels of radiation within the atmosphere, warming the globe. Wetlands are substantial sources of both CH₄ and N₂O. Plants alter ecosystem processes, such as the biogeochemical processes that produce CH₄ and N₂O, via their physical presence and chemical signatures. However, the influences of different plant species on greenhouse gas fluxes are poorly understood. A mechanistic understanding of the traits that lead to species-specific rates of gas flux will illuminate the roles that different plants play in ecosystems and could be a critical tool for managing greenhouse gas emissions from restored wetlands. We collected CH₄ and N₂O fluxes from monoculture plots of 4 herbaceous species at a restored wetland in Durham, NC, and compared these fluxes with key functional traits that may affect soil carbon, nitrogen, or oxidation-reduction potential.  

Results/Conclusions

We demonstrate possible species-specific soil fluxes of N₂O, and we find no relationship between these gas fluxes and a suite of potentially confounding soil environmental conditions. Nitrous oxide fluxes, however, are strongly correlated with aboveground C:N ratio (R²=0.78) and photosynthetic rate (R²=0.99). As the climate and rates of wetland destruction and restoration change, understanding the roles of different plant species in wetland greenhouse gas dynamics will help us predict greenhouse gas fluxes and manage wetland ecosystem functions.