Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Anthropogenic activities have increased phosphorus (P) inputs to wetland ecosystems, potentially altering nutrient cycling and greenhouse gas dynamics. However, the effects of P enrichment on methane (CH 4 ) emissions in alpine wetland systems, particularly on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted a 2-year field experiment with graded P additions—low-P (LP, 5 kg·ha − 1 ·a − 1 ), medium-P (MP, 10 kg·ha − 1 ·a − 1 ), high-P (HP, 15 kg·ha − 1 ·a − 1 )—and a control (CK) to assess CH 4 flux during the growing season (May–October). Using opaque static chambers and gas chromatography, we quantified CH 4 emissions alongside key soil environmental parameters and microbial community structures. Results showed that P addition significantly increased CH 4 emissions from the Gahai wet meadow, with CH₄ fluxes 3.75–5.21 times higher than in the control. P enrichment also significantly elevated soil organic carbon and total phosphorus content ( P < 0.05), increased the relative abundance of Chloroflexi , and reduced Bacteroidete —a microbial shift likely driving enhanced CH 4 emissions. These findings suggest that phosphorus enrichment alters nutrient availability and microbial community composition in alpine wetlands, promoting CH 4 release and exacerbating carbon loss and greenhouse effects in these ecosystems.
Source: Scientific Reports
Authors: Haiyan Wang, Kaiming Li
Institution: Lanzhou City University
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDGs: Climate action, Life on land
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
OpenAlex ID: W4415025506