Cryptogamic organisms are a substantial source and sink for volatile organic compounds in the Amazon region
Communications Earth & Environment, vol. 2
Abstract
Abstract Cryptogamic organisms such as bryophytes and lichens cover most surfaces within tropical forests, yet their impact on the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds is unknown. These compounds can strongly influence atmospheric oxidant levels as well as secondary organic aerosol concentrations, and forest canopy leaves have been considered the dominant source of these emissions. Here we present cuvette flux measurements, made in the Amazon rainforest between 2016–2018, and show that common bryophytes emit large quantities of highly reactive sesquiterpenoids and that widespread lichens strongly uptake atmospheric oxidation products. A spatial upscaling approach revealed that cryptogamic organisms emit sesquiterpenoids in quantities comparable to current canopy attributed estimates, and take up atmospheric oxidation products at rates comparable to hydroxyl radical chemistry. We conclude that cryptogamic organisms play an important and hitherto overlooked role in atmospheric chemistry above and within tropical rainforests.
Authors 15
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Achim Edtbauer corresponding
Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Affiliation as printed
Atmospheric Chemistry and Multiphase Chemistry Departments, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Affiliation as printed
Atmospheric Chemistry and Multiphase Chemistry Departments, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia · Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Affiliation as printed
Atmospheric Chemistry and Multiphase Chemistry Departments, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil
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Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Affiliation as printed
Atmospheric Chemistry and Multiphase Chemistry Departments, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Agronomy Department, University of Almería, Ctra. Sacramento s/n, 04120, Almería, Spain
Centro de Investigación de Colecciones Científicas de la Universidad de Almería (CECOUAL), Almería, Spain
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Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Affiliation as printed
Atmospheric Chemistry and Multiphase Chemistry Departments, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Institute for Biology, University of Graz, 8010, Graz, Austria
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Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Affiliation as printed
Atmospheric Chemistry and Multiphase Chemistry Departments, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Affiliation as printed
Atmospheric Chemistry and Multiphase Chemistry Departments, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul
Affiliation as printed
Laboratório de Botânica/Liquenologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Avenida Costa e Silva s/n, Bairro Universitário, Campo Grande, MS, 79070-900, Brazil
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Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
Affiliation as printed
Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil
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Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation
Affiliation as printed
Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa) Amazonia Oriental, Belém, 66095-100, Brazil
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Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Affiliation as printed
Atmospheric Chemistry and Multiphase Chemistry Departments, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Postbus 9517, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
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University of Graz · Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
Affiliation as printed
Atmospheric Chemistry and Multiphase Chemistry Departments, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128, Mainz, Germany
Institute for Biology, University of Graz, 8010, Graz, Austria
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