Seasonal variation in rates of methane production from peat of various botanical origins: effects of temperature and substrate quality

The methane produced in peat soils can very over the growing season due to variations in the supply of available substrate, the activity of the microbial community or changes in temperature. Our aim was to study how these factors regulate the methane production over the season from five different peat types of different botanical origin. Peat samples were collected on seven occasions between June and September. After each sampling, the peat soils were incubated at five different temperatures (7, 10, 15, 20 and 25 degrees C) without added substrate, or at 20 degrees C with added substrate (glucose, or H2/CO2, or starch). Rates of methane production average over the season differed significantly (P