Several studies have proposed aerobic methane (CH 4 ) emissions by plants. If confirmed, these findings would further increase the imbalance in the global CH 4 budget which today underestimates CH 4 sinks. Oxidation by OH‐radicals in the troposphere is the major identified sink followed by smaller contribution from stratospheric loss and oxidation by methano‐ and methylotrophic bacteria in soils. This study directly investigated CH 4 exchange by plants in their natural environment. At a forest site in central Sweden, in situ branch chamber measurements were used to study plant ambient CH 4 exchange by spruce ( Picea abies ), birch ( Betula pubescens ), rowan ( Sorbus aucuparia ) and pine ( Pinus sylvestris ). The results show a net uptake of CH 4 by all the studied plants, which might be of importance for the methane budget.
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Sundqvist et al. (2012) studied this question.
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