Spatial Heterogeneity in Methane Biogeochemistry and Prokaryotic Community Structure in Sub-Arctic Waterbodies in Northern Canada.

ABSTRACT: Arctic warming is leading to permafrost thawing which modifies, in cascade, hydrosystems at diverse levels. This study aimed to compare prokaryotic community structure and methane (CH₄) dynamics across 16 sub-Arctic waterbodies, and to assess how these features are shaped by permafrost thaw. The sampled waterbodies, located in an ice-rich discontinuous permafrost region (Southwestern Yukon, Canada) differed in size, depth, stratification and degree of thaw influence. Prokaryotic communities were characterised through 16S rRNA gene sequencing and qPCR targeting mcrA (methanogenesis) and pmoA (methanotrophy) genes. Community structures differed significantly between shallow stratified, deep stratified and non-stratified waterbodies. Methanogens, predominantly represented by the Me

SUBMITTER: Szylit A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12665484 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature