02749nas a2200265   4500008004100000022001400041245009700055210006900152260001500221300000900236490000800245520197300253653001902226653001402245653001402259653000902273653001202282653001802294100002102312700002102333700002202354700001902376700002102395856006702416       2020                        eng d  a0038-071700aRelease of greenhouse gases from millipedes as related to food, body size, and other factors0 aRelease of greenhouse gases from millipedes as related to food b  c28/02/2020  a1-100 v1443 a<p>The release of greenhouse gases from millipede digestive tracts warrants study because of its potential effect on climate change and also as an indicator of microbial processes that transform organic matter during passage through the gut of these animals. Gas chromatography was used to quantify the release of methane (CH<sub><sup>4</sup></sub>), carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), and nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O) from living millipedes in laboratory conditions. The effect of four food types (leaf litter of alder, oak, and maple, and rotten wood) on the release of CH<sub>4</sub>, CO<sub>2</sub>, and N<sub>2</sub>O by 12 species was also assessed. In addition, two julid species were fed pure cellulose to test the ability of these millipedes to obtain energy from cellulose and to determine the effect of this diet on gas production.</p>
<p>All of the tested millipede species produced CO<sub>2</sub> and some produced CH<sub>4</sub>. Stable and substantial CH<sub>4</sub> emission was restricted to the large millipedes in the tropical orders Spirobolida and Spirostreptida. This asymmetrical phylogenetic distribution of CH<sub>4</sub> production may be related to body size and the presence of gut commensals, but these factors may influence each other and depend upon geographic distribution of species. The quality of the food and feeding regime can also affect CH<sub>4</sub> production in that CH<sub>4</sub> release was significantly higher when millipedes were fed alder leaf litter rather than oak or maple leaf litter. CO<sub>2</sub> production from millipedes mainly reflected the metabolic response of the animals. Traces of N<sub>2</sub>O were only occasionally emitted by millipedes; this release evidently depends on the N content in the food and seems to be restricted to members of the Glomeridae family. Based on gas production, the tested species of millipedes were unable to obtain their energy needs from a diet of pure cellulose.</p>
10aCarbon dioxide10aCellulose10aDiplopoda10aFood10aMethane10aNitrous oxide1 aŠustr, Vladimir1 aŠimek, Miloslav1 aFaktorová, Lucie1 aMacková, Jana1 aTajovský, Karel  uhttps://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0038071720300626