Carbon Fluxes and Stocks by Mexican Tropical Forested Wetland Soils: A Critical Review of Its Role for Climate Change Mitigation.

Wetland soils are important stores of soil carbon (C) in the biosphere, and play an important role in global carbon cycles in the response strategy to climate change. However, there areknowledge gaps in our understanding of the quantity and distribution in tropical regions. Specifically, Mexican wetlands have not been considered in global carbon budgets or carbon balances for a number of reasons, such as: (1) the lack of data, (2) Spanish publications have not been selected, or (3) because such balances are mainly made in the English language. This study analyzes the literature regarding carbon stocks, sequestration and fluxes in Mexican forested wetlands (Forest-W). Soil carbon stocks of 8, 24.5 and 40.1 kg cm-2 were detected for flooded palms, mangroves, and freshwater or swamps (FW) wetland soils, respectively, indicating that FW soils are the Forest-W with more potential for carbon sinks (p = 0.023), compared to mangroves and flooded palm soils. While these assessments of carbon sequestration were ranged from 36 to 920 g-C m-2 year-1, C emitted as methane was also tabulated (0.6-196 g-C m-2 year-1). Subtracting the C emitted of the C sequestered, 318.2 g-C m-2 year-1 were obtained. Such data revealed that Forest-W function is mainly as carbon sink, and not C source. This review can help to inform practitioners in future decisions regarding sustainable projects, restoration, conservation or creation of wetlands. Finally, it is concluded that Forest-W could be key ecosystems in strategies addressing the mitigation of climate change through carbon storage. However, new studies in this research line and public policies that protect these essential carbon sinks are necessary in order to, hopefully, elaborate global models to make more accurate predictions about future climate.

Influence of a new ornamental species (Spathiphyllum blandum) on the removal of COD, nitrogen, phosphorus and fecal coliforms: a mesocosm wetland study with PET and tezontle substrates.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of a new species of plant (Spathiphyllum blandum) in the elimination of chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrogen, phosphorus and fecal coliforms (FCs) in mesocosms of wetlands with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and tezontle substrates under a tropical climate. The experiments were developed at the mesocosm level in 20 experimental units; 10 were planted with Spathiphyllum blandum, five in PET substrates and five in tezontle, and 10 more were used as controls without vegetation, of which five contained tezontle and five contained PET. The systems were fed with contaminated water from the river Sordo, with a hydraulic retention time of 3 days for 12 months; samples were taken in the influent and effluents of the mesocosms every 2 weeks, with the purpose of evaluating the removal of contaminants. The results showed that presence of this species tended to improve or significantly improved the removal of COD, NH4-N, PO4-P, and FCs by 7%, 16%, 29% and 12%, respectively. It was also possible to confirm that the presence of this species reduced the rate of denitrification. These results confirm that in developing countries it is feasible to find new wetland species to be used for wastewater phytoremediation.