The Effect of Cutting and Waterlogging on Plant-Related CO2 and N2O Fluxes Associated with the Invasive N-Fixing Species Gunnera tinctoria
Mantoani, Mauricio C. | Osborne, Bruce A.
The overall impact that plant invasions have on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by plant-mediated effects and how these interact with environmental and management factors is largely unknown. To address this, we report on the effects of leaf removal and waterlogging, either singularly or in combination, on the fluxes of CO₂ and N₂O associated with the invasive species Gunnera tinctoria. Both the removal of leaves with and without flooding resulted in higher CO₂ emissions due to reductions in photosynthesis. Whilst waterlogging alone was also associated with a reduction in photosynthesis, this was slower than the effect of leaf removal. Significant N₂O emissions were associated with intact plants, which increased immediately after leaf removal, or seven days after waterlogging with or without leaf removal. We found positive correlations between CO₂ and N₂O emissions and petiole and rhizome areas, indicating a size-dependent effect. Our results demonstrate that intact plants of G. tinctoria are a source of N₂O emissions, which is enhanced, albeit transiently, by the removal of leaves. Consequently, management interventions on invasive plant populations that involve the removal of above-ground material, or waterlogging, would not only reduce CO₂ uptake, but would further compromise the ecosystem GHG balance through enhanced N₂O emissions.
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