Microorganisms living in their bark absorb methane from the air, giving trees about 10 percent more of a positive impact on the climate than previously thought.
Methane is a greenhouse gas responsible for about a quarter of man-made global warming.
Scientists have already discovered that some trees that grow in waterlogged soil emit methane. That’s produced underground, but the presence of methane-eating microorganisms known as methanotrophs in the bark suggests that trees could also act as a net sink for atmospheric methane.
Methane-oxidizing bacteria consume methane…
Source: www.newscientist.com