Arctic polygonal tundra determines small-scale changes of methanotrophic community structure and activity

TL;DRAbstract

Northern wetlands and tundra are a net source of methane (CH4) with an estimated annual release of on average 7.2% of the global total CH4 emission (IPCC 2007). Polygonal tundra constitutes the typical peatlands of the Arctic covering around 3% of the Arctic landmasses. Its contribution to the overall greenhouse gas budget of Arctic peatlands is essential. Aerobic methane oxidizing bacteria (MOB) constitute the major sink for CH4 in polygonal tundra, thus considerably influencing the amount of CH4 released to the atmosphere.The small-scale shift between water-saturated, waterlogged and unsaturated sites characteristic for polygonal tundra determines heterogeneous redox-conditions and potentially shape the community structure and activity of MOB. We studied methanotrophy in the oligotrophic, mainly neutral polygonal tundra of Samoylov, a small island in the Siberian Lena Delta. Applying molecular techniques, we observed that elevated, unsaturated sites promote type I MOB. Thereby, MOB w

Chat with Paper

AI Agents for this Paper