Insights into the mechanism of diurnal variations in methane emission from the stem surfaces of Alnus japonica.

Recent studies have suggested that in certain environments, tree stems emit methane (CH ). This study explored the mechanism of CH emission from the stem surfaces of Alnus japonica in a riparian wetland. Stem CH emission rates and sap flux were monitored year-round, and fine-root anatomy was investigated.

Nitrogen Availability and Microbial Communities of Canopy Soils in a Large Cercidiphyllum japonicum Tree of a Cool-Temperate Old Growth Forest.

Canopy soils on large trees are important for supporting the lives of many canopy plants, and thereby increasing regional biodiversity. However, because of the less accessibility to canopy soils, there is insufficient knowledge on how canopy soils produce available nitrogen (N) for canopy plants through the activity of canopy soil microbes. Canopy soils usually have different soil properties from ground soils, so we hypothesized that canopy soils would have unique microbial communities compared to ground soils, but still provide available N for canopy plants.

Water Adsorption to Leaves of Tall Tree Analyzed by Infrared Spectroscopy under Relative Humidity Control.

Leaf water storage is a complex interaction between live tissue properties (anatomy and physiology) and physicochemical properties of biomolecules and water. How leaves adsorb water molecules based on interactions between biomolecules and water, including hydrogen bonding, challenges our understanding of hydraulic acclimation in tall trees where leaves are exposed to more water stress. Here, we used infrared (IR) microspectroscopy with changing relative humidity (RH) on leaves of tall trees.