Automated closed-chamber measurements of methane fluxes from intact leaves and trunk of Japanese cypress

Continuous in situ measurements of methane (CH4) fluxes from intact leaves and trunk of Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Sieb. et Zucc) were conducted in a temperate forest from August 2009 to August 2010. An automated closed-chamber system, which was used to evaluate CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and forest ecosystems, was coupled to a laser-based instrument to monitor CH4 concentrations. Temporal changes in CH4 concentrations from the foliage and trunk were measured at one-second intervals during chamber closure to determine CH4 fluxes between the leaf and trunk surfaces and the atmosphere. While recent studies have suggested that some plants emit CH4 under aerobic conditions, emission or uptake of CH4 in detectable amounts with our experimental system, by intact leaves or the trunk of C. obtusa, was not significantly observed throughout the measurement period.