In-depth analysis of core methanogenic communities from high elevation permafrost-affected wetlands

• Published in: Soil Biology and Biochemistry
• Main Authors: Yang, Sizhong, Liebner, Susanne, Winkel, Matthias, Alawi, Mashal, Horn, Fabian, Doerfer, Corina, Ollivier, Julien, He, Jin-Sheng, Jin, Huijun, Kuehn, Peter, Schloter, Michael, Scholten, Thomas, Wagner, Dirk
• Other Authors: Wagner, D (reprint author), GFZ German Res Ctr Geosci, Sect Geomicrobiol 5 3, D-14473 Potsdam, Germany., GFZ German Res Ctr Geosci, Sect Geomicrobiol 5 3, D-14473 Potsdam, Germany., Chinese Acad Sci, Northwest Inst Ecoenvironm & Resources, State Key Lab Frozen Soils Engn, Lanzhou 730000, Peoples R China., Univ Tubingen, Dept Geosci, D-72074 Tubingen, Germany., Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, Res Unit Comparat Microbiome Anal, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany., Chinese Acad Sci, Northwest Inst Plateau Biol, Key Lab Adaptat & Evolut Plateau Biota, Xining 810008, Peoples R China., Peking Univ, Coll Urban & Environm Sci, Dept Ecol, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China.
• Format: Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY 2017
• Subjects: Methanogenic archaea; Wetland; mcTA gene; Frozen ground; Tibetan Plateau; Biogeography; Methanoregula; QINGHAI-TIBET PLATEAU; METHANE EMISSIONS; MICROBIAL COMMUNITY; THAWING PERMAFROST; POLYGONAL TUNDRA; ZOIGE WETLAND; LENA DELTA; PEAT BOG; CARBON; ECOSYSTEMS; lena delta; Peat; permafrost; Tundra
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11897/471976; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.03.007

The organic carbon of permafrost affected soils is receiving particular attention with respect to its fate and potential feedback to global warming. The structural and activity changes of methanogenic communities in the degrading permafrost-affected wetlands on the Tibetan Plateau can serve as fundamental elements for modelling feedback interaction of ecosystems to climate change. Hence, we aimed at anticipating if and how the rapid environmental changes occurring especially on the high altitude Tibetan platform will affect methanogenic communities. We identified methanogenic community composition, activity and abundance in wetland soils with different hydrological settings, permafrost extent and soil properties and pinpoint the environmental controls. We show that despite a pronounced natural gradient, the Tibetan high elevation wetland soils host a large methanogenic core microbiome. Hydrogenotrophic methanogens, in particular Methanoregula, and H2-dependent methanogenesis were overall dominant although acetoclastic methanogens in addition to hydrogenotrophs were among the dominating taxa in a minerotrophic fen. Tracing the Methanoregula community of the Tibetan Plateau using public databases revealed its global relevance in natural terrestrial habitats. Unlike the composition, the activity and abundance of methanogens varied strongly in the studied soils with higher values in alpine swamps than in alpine meadows. This study indicates that in the course of current wetland and permafrost degradation and the loss in soil moisture, a decrease in the methane production potential is expected on the high Tibetan Plateau but it will not lead to pronounced changes within the methanogenic community structure. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) [03G081013, 03G0810C, 03G0810A]; Helmholtz Association (HGF) [VH-NG-919] SCI(E) ARTICLE 66-77 111