Methane release from millipedes and other soil invertebrates in Central Europe

Abstract

The potential for methane production was investigated in 47 species of soil invertebrates. No detectable methane production was found in slugs, earthworms, potworms, oribatid mites, woodlices, springtails, centipedes, ants and soil diptera larvae. However, significant methane production was found in several temperate millipedes including some species from the order Julida ( Leptoiulus trilobatus, Megaphyllum projectum, Megaphyllum unilineatum, Unciger transsilvanicus, Unciger foetidus, Leptoiulus proximus and Julus scandinavius). On the other hand, methane production was not confirmed in Cylindroiulus boleti which belongs to the same family. Members of the other orders (Glomerida and Polydesmida) did not release methane with the exception of one questionable recorded release in Polydesmus complanatus (Polydesmida, Polydesmidae). Methane producing species of millipedes showed significantly lower weight-specific rates of methane release than the cockroach Periplaneta americana and termite Prorhinotermes simplex. Methane release from millipedes was temperature-dependent; for the temperature range 5–25 °C, a Q 10 between 1.55 and 2.17 was calculated and the relationship between methane release and temperature was described by an exponential curve. Our results suggest that although overall methane fluxes from soil invertebrates under study cannot substantially influence a methane budget in most ecosystems, methane production is significant at least in some millipedes and therefore can impact mesoenvironments and microenvironments inhabited by these invertebrates. This work also confirms that methane production is not only supported by tropic soil invertebrates, but also by temperate species.