Restoration effects of submerged macrophytes on methane production and oxidation potential of lake sediments

Jianglong Zhu; Yahua Li; Minghui Huang; Dong Xu; Yi Zhang; Qiaohong Zhou; Zhenbin Wu; Chuan Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161218

Restoration effects of submerged macrophytes on methane production and oxidation potential of lake sediments

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Mar 25:866:161218. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161218. Epub 2022 Dec 28.

Authors

Jianglong Zhu¹, Yahua Li², Minghui Huang², Dong Xu³, Yi Zhang³, Qiaohong Zhou³, Zhenbin Wu³, Chuan Wang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, No. 368 Youyi Avenue, Wuchang District, Wuhan 430062, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response, Hubei University, No. 368 Youyi Avenue, Wuchang District, Wuhan 430062, China.
² China University of Geosciences, No. 388 Lumo Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430074, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Donghu South Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan 430072, China.
⁴ Faculty of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, No. 368 Youyi Avenue, Wuchang District, Wuhan 430062, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response, Hubei University, No. 368 Youyi Avenue, Wuchang District, Wuhan 430062, China; State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7 Donghu South Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan 430072, China. Electronic address: wangchuan@hubu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36584953
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161218

Abstract

The restoration of submerged macrophytes is an important step in lake ecosystem restoration, during which artificially assisted measures have been widely used for macrophyte recolonization. Compared with natural restoration, the impact of artificially assisted methods on methane (CH₄) production and oxidation of lake sediments remains unclear. Therefore, after the restoration of submerged macrophytes in some parts of West Lake (Hangzhou, China), sediment samples from West Lake were collected according to restoration methods and plant coverage. The CH₄ production potential, oxidation potential, and microbial community structure in the sediment were discussed through whole-lake sample analysis and resampling verification from typical lake areas. From the analysis of the whole lake, the average daily CH₄ production potential (ADP) of artificially restored lake areas (0.12 μg g^-1 d^-1) was significantly lower than that of the naturally restored lake areas (0.52 μg g^-1 d^-1). From the resampling analysis of typical lake areas, the ADP of naturally restored lake areas was 1.8 times that of artificially restored lake areas (P < 0.01). Although there was no significant difference in the CH₄ oxidation potential between the two restoration methods, the presence of submerged macrophytes significantly increased the abundance of the dominant methanotroph Methylocaldum in the sediment, and the rate of increase in the abundance of the dominant methanotroph Methylosinus was significantly higher in artificially assisted restoration than in natural restoration. This study revealed that the artificially assisted restoration of submerged macrophytes reduced the potential for CH₄ production and increased the abundance of dominant methanotrophs in the lake sediment, which would be beneficial for the reduction of CH₄ emissions during lake ecological restoration and environmental management.

Keywords: Artificially assisted restoration; CH(4) oxidation potential; CH(4) production potential; Lake sediment; Methanotroph; Submerged macrophyte.

MeSH terms

China
Ecosystem*
Geologic Sediments
Lakes* / chemistry
Methane / analysis
Oxidation-Reduction

Substances

Methane