Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/Z504403/1
Tree-MiME: Tree Microbial and Methane Responses to Extreme Drought in the Amazon
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Dr S Pangala, Imperial College London, Life Sciences
- Grant held at:
- Imperial College London, Life Sciences
- Science Area:
- None
- Overall Classification:
- Unknown
- ENRIs:
- None
- Science Topics:
- None
- Abstract:
- Amazonian trees play a central role in regulating methane, a potent greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. In wet seasons, when trees are flooded, they release methane into the atmosphere, but in dry seasons, they absorb it, helping lower atmospheric methane levels (Pangala et al., Nature, 2017; Gauci et al., Nature, 2024). The methane emitted in the wet season is largely thought to originate from the soil beneath the flooded trees, but research suggests that microorganisms inside the trees may also be producing methane (Covey & Megonigal, New Phyt., 2019). During the dry season, when the soil is no longer flooded, methane emitted from the tree stems is likely produced by internal microorganisms. Similarly, the methane consumption/uptake observed in trees is driven by microorganisms inside the tree (Jeffrey et al., Nat. Commun., 2021). The knowledge gap lies in understanding how water table fluctuations, which affect methane emissions, also impact the methanogens (methane producers) and methanotrophs (methane consumers) inside trees. While we know that water levels influence methane emissions from trees (Gauci et al., Philos. Trans. R. Soc. A., 2021), we do not fully understand how the activity of these internal microorganisms changes in response to fluctuating water levels. Do methanogens and methanotrophs adjust their functions seasonally, or are they resilient to short-term changes, such as extreme weather events? Understanding these processes is crucial because water table levels directly affect not only methane emissions but also the microbial dynamics that drive them within trees. Currently, the Amazon is facing its most severe drought in over 120 years, driven by climate change and worsened by the transition from El Ni?o to La Ni?a. This extreme drought is placing immense stress on trees and could disrupt the balance of methane production and consumption regulated by methanogens and methanotrophs. This disruption could potentially alter methane emissions from the region, but there is no current data showing how drought impacts this delicate balance inside trees. Addressing this gap is essential to predict how carbon-dense ecosystems like the Amazon will respond to extreme environmental pressures as climate change accelerates. The 2024 drought provides a timely opportunity to investigate how these extreme conditions affect methane emissions from Amazonian trees and their microbial communities. In 2022, our Royal Society-funded research collected extensive baseline data on methane emissions and microbial dynamics from Amazonian trees during wet and dry seasons under typical hydrological/weather conditions. This baseline allows for a unique direct comparison between normal seasonal variations and the effects of the 2024 drought. Importantly, this study must be conducted before the rainy season begins, ensuring that the drought's effects are captured without being masked by typical seasonal changes. By comparing these datasets, we can identify shifts in methane production and consumption within trees and how microbial communities react under extreme drought conditions. This study will offer novel insights into how climate change-driven droughts might alter the Amazon's role in regulating methane emissions. It will also improve climate models used to predict regional and global methane budgets and guide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond its policy implications, the data generated will be invaluable to the broader scientific community, providing a deeper understanding of how ecosystems and microbial communities respond to extreme weather events and the long-term resilience of the Amazon rainforest.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/Z504403/1
- Grant Stage:
- Awaiting Event/Action
- Scheme:
- Research Grants
- Grant Status:
- Active
- Programme:
- Urgency Funding 2024
This grant award has a total value of £84,437
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| DI - Other Costs | Indirect - Indirect Costs | DI - Staff | DA - Estate Costs | DI - T&S | DA - Other Directly Allocated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £13,347 | £29,073 | £20,715 | £9,015 | £11,691 | £597 |
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