Invasive Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) Increases Methane Emissions from a Subtropical Lake in the Yangtze River in China

Lakes represent an important source of atmospheric methane (CH4); however, there are few studies on which lake-dwelling invasive aquatic plants generate CH4. Therefore, in this study, CH4 emissions were measured using a floating chamber and gas chromatography in a subtropical lake in China. We considered four community zones of invasive plants (Eichhornia crassipes), emergent vegetation (Zizania latifolia), floating-plant (Trapa natans) and open-water zones. The results indicate that the flux of CH4 emissions varied between -5.38 and 102.68 mg m(-2) h(-1). The higher emission values were attributed to lake eutrophication. Moreover, the flux of CH4 emissions in the invasive plant zone was 140-220% higher than that in the open-water and the floating-plant zones. However, there was no significant difference in CH4 emissions between the invasive plant and the emergent vegetation zones. This may be due to a higher production of plants, as well as the rapid reproductive rate of the invasive plants. Finally, CH4 emissions were positively associated with the air and water temperature; however, the emissions were also negatively associated with water depth. Our results suggest that invasive plants enhance freshwater CH4 emissions, thus contributing to global warming.

Automated summary

This study measured CH4 emissions from invasive aquatic plants in a subtropical lake in China and found that these plants contribute to the overall CH4 emissions, thus impacting global warming.