Veränderungen der Vegetation durch experimentelle Erdgasbehandlung

Changes in vegetation caused by experimental leakage of natural gas The response of vegetation to natural gas leakage was studied in Central Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, in 1978–84. The gas used was of the following chemical composition: 93·8% methane, 3·6% ethane, 0·8% propane, 0·25% butane, 0·3% carbon dioxide. The test crops were planted in 60·5 m plots containing underground bores from which gas was released into the soil through distribution pipes. In addition, the response of some weed species was recorded. The important effects of contamination observed were restricted growth and decrease in the number of individuals present. A change in the green colour of leaves was recorded in Medicago sativa, Brassica oleracea var. acephala, Secale cereale, Lolium multiflorum. Beta vulgaris and Zea mays. An obvious shift of developmental stages was found in Solanum tuberosum. Helianthus annuus and Zea mays (delay of recruitment and blooming). Restricted or even failure of reproduction can be considered the typical effect of exposure to natural gas: this holds true especially for Allium cepa, Triticum aestivum, Hordeum distichon, Trifolium sp.div., Medicago sativa, and most of the weedy species. Various growth deformations, mostly found in the underground parts of the plants (tubers and roots in Solanum tuberosum, Beta vulgaris), can be ascribed to the unfavourable conditions of soil aeration. Plants of Chenopodium album and Medicago sativa growing in the vicinity of the gas release point had an increased number of stomata. There were changes in the course of the reflectance curves estimated in the population of Trifolium pratense subsp. sativum. There was a conspicuous decrease of the near infrared reflectance in the stand exposed to gas in comparison with the control. Decrease of coverage and density of the stands reduced species diversity and changes in the species' composition (reduction of sensitive species) are the general consequences of natural gas leakage. The first symptoms on the vegetation were observed after 15–30 days which corresponds to about 80–150 m³ of discharged gas.