Microbial minorities modulate methane consumption through niche partitioning.

ABSTRACT: Microbes catalyze all major geochemical cycles on earth. However, the role of microbial traits and community composition in biogeochemical cycles is still poorly understood mainly due to the inability to assess the community members that are actually performing biogeochemical conversions in complex environmental samples. Here we applied a polyphasic approach to assess the role of microbial community composition in modulating methane emission from a riparian floodplain. We show that the dynamics and intensity of methane consumption in riparian wetlands coincide with relative abundance and activity of specific subgroups of methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB), which can be considered as a minor component of the microbial community in this ecosystem. Microarray-based community composition analyse

SUBMITTER: Bodelier PL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3806271 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature