Mosses, lichens and cyanobacteria produce large amounts of
nitrous oxide
(July 8, 2015) Seemingly
nondescript organisms are having a surprisingly major impact on the
environment: lichens, mosses, and cyanobacteria are releasing large amounts of
the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) and small amounts of methane (CH4) into
the atmosphere. This vegetative covering – known as a cryptogamic covers, which
also include other microorganisms – is responsible for four to nine percent of
naturally occurring N2O. Comprehensive laboratory experiments by researchers at
Heidelberg University, the University of Gießen and the Max-Planck Institute
for Chemistry in Mainz arrived at these astonishing findings. At the same time,
their work revealed that the amount of nitrous oxide emitted increases as the
temperature rises. “Our discovery has even greater significance in light of
global warming,“ says Heidelberg geochemist Prof. Dr. Frank Keppler. The
results of the research were published in the journal “Global Change Biology”.
The researchers started by investigating whether cryptogam
covers emitted N2O and CH4 at all and how climatic conditions might affect the
emission values. They studied 68 samples of various lichens, mosses and
cyanobacteria from different climatic regions. the scientists recorded the
greenhouse gas emissions of the organisms at different temperatures, water
contents, light conditions and nitrogen fertilisation to determine the impact
of environmental conditions on the release of the gases.