title: Emission of methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and short-chain hydrocarbons from vegetation foliage under ultraviolet irradiation.
abstract: The original report that plants emit methane (CH4 ) under aerobic conditions caused much debate and controversy. Critics questioned experimental techniques, possible mechanisms for CH4 production and the nature of estimating global emissions. Several studies have now confirmed that aerobic CH4 emissions can be detected from plant foliage but the extent of the phenomenon in plants and the precise mechanisms and precursors involved remain uncertain. In this study, we investigated the role of environmentally realistic levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in causing the emission of CH4 and other gases from foliage obtained from a wide variety of plant types. We related our measured emissions to the foliar content of methyl esters and lignin and to the epidermal UV absorbance of the species investigated. Our data demonstrate that the terrestrial vegetation foliage sampled did emit CH4 , with a range in emissions of 0.6-31.8 ng CH4  g(-1) leaf DW h(-1) , which compares favourably with the original reports of experimental work. In addition to CH4 emissions, our data show that carbon monoxide, ethene and propane are also emitted under UV stress but we detected no significant emissions of carbon dioxide or ethane.
authors.affiliation: School of Geosciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, UK.
authors.forename: Wesley T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: Emanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blei
authors.forename: Stephen C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Fry
authors.forename: Mark F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Reay
authors.forename: Keith A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Andy R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: McLeod
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D008031:Lignin / Q000378:metabolism; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D008031:Lignin; D008697:Methane
keywords: CH4; UVA; UVB; epidermal absorbance; flavonoids; lignin; pectin