Global river cellulose decomposition assay data 2016-17

• Main Authors: Fell, S., Carrivick, J. L., Cauvy-Fraunié, S., Crespo-Pérez, V., Hood, E., Randall, K. C., Matthews Nicholass, K. J., Tiegs, S. D., Dumbrell, A. J., Brown, L. E.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: NERC Environmental Information Data Centre 2021
• Subjects: Next generation sequencing; qPCR; Cellobiohydrolase I cbhI; Cotton-strip assay; Mountain rivers; Decomposition assay; Tensile-strength data; NGS data; Physicochemical data; New Zealand; Norway; glacier; Alaska
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5285/fec704d2-ee6a-427b-9345-850dd96ff1b4; https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/fec704d2-ee6a-427b-9345-850dd96ff1b4

This dataset contains information regarding mountain river sites sampled in 2016-17. It includes: 1) physicochemical parameters of the river sites sampled, 2) tensile-strength loss data of a standardised cotton strip assay as a proxy for the decomposition of cellulose in mountain rivers, 3) molecular next generation sequencing data of the fungal Internal Transcribed Spacer region (ITS) and Cellobiohydrolase I gene (cbhI) sampled from the cotton strip decomposition assay. Field observations were made in Alaska, Austria, Ecuador, France, New Zealand and Norway to investigate how decreasing catchment glacier cover influences the fungal decomposition of organic matter in mountain rivers. : In the field, physicochemical parameters were obtained using a combination of in-situ probe measurements and geomorphological assessment, alongside collection of river water for ex-situ determination of some variables. A standardised cellulose (cotton strip) decomposition assay was deployed at each river site. In the laboratory, a tensiometer (University of Leeds) was used to determine the tensile-strength loss for incubated and control cotton strips, as a proxy for the decomposition of cellulose. Tensile-strength loss values were standardised by days of incubation and water temperature. DNA was extracted from subsamples of the cotton strips and next generation sequencing (qPCR, PCR) (University of Essex) performed to estimate the abundance of fungi (ITS), subgroups of fungi (saprotrophs, Ascomycota, Tetracladium) and a fungal gene (cbhI). Molecular data was subjected to quality control prior to taxonomic classification and assignment of trophic mode.