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Aerobic Methanotroph Diversity in Sanjiang Wetland, Northeast China

  • Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

Aerobic methanotrophs present in wetlands can serve as a methane filter and thereby significantly reduce methane emissions. Sanjiang wetland is a major methane source and the second largest wetland in China, yet little is known about the characteristics of aerobic methanotrophs in this region. In the present study, we investigated the diversity and abundance of methanotrophs in marsh soils from Sanjiang wetland with three different types of vegetation by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and pmoA gene analysis. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed the highest number of pmoA gene copies in marsh soils vegetated with Carex lasiocarpa (109 g−1 dry soil), followed by Carex meyeriana, and the least with Deyeuxia angustifolia (108 g−1 dry soil). Consistent results were obtained using Sanger sequencing and pyrosequencing techniques, both indicating the codominance of Methylobacter and Methylocystis species in Sanjiang wetland. Other less abundant methanotrophy, including cultivated Methylomonas and Methylosinus genus, and uncultured clusters such as LP20 and JR-1, were also detected in the wetland. Methanotroph diversity was almost the same in three different vegetation covered soils, suggesting that vegetation types had very little influence on the methanotroph diversity. Our study gives an in-depth insight into the community composition of aerobic methanotrophs in the Sanjiang wetland.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Changchun Song at the Sanjiang Experimental Station of Wetland Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for sampling assistance. This work was supported by the Strategic Leading Science & Technology Programme (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB05010200), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41271277), and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project (2013T60155).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, 100049, Beijing, China

    Juanli Yun & Hongxun Zhang

  2. Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment, Nanjing Normal University, 1 Wenyuan Road, 210046, Nanjing, China

    Yongcui Deng

  3. College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, 100049, Beijing, China

    Yanfen Wang

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  1. Juanli Yun
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  2. Hongxun Zhang
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  3. Yongcui Deng
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  4. Yanfen Wang
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Correspondence to Yanfen Wang.

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Yun, J., Zhang, H., Deng, Y. et al. Aerobic Methanotroph Diversity in Sanjiang Wetland, Northeast China. Microb Ecol 69, 567–576 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-014-0506-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-014-0506-2

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