Distinct methanotrophic communities exist in habitats with different soil water contents

Abstract

Abstract Aerobic methane oxidizing bacteria play a key role in controlling global climate by reducing methane (CH4) emissions in natural ecosystems. We studied the community assembly processes and co-occurrence interactions of soil methanotrophs in three habitats (an alpine meadow, a marsh meadow, and a marsh) from Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Methanotrophic communities and CH4 oxidation potentials varied considerably between the habitats, and the diversity of methanotrophs was significantly lower in marsh meadow than in the other two soils (P