NifH-Harboring Bacterial Community Composition across an Alaskan Permafrost Thaw Gradient.

ABSTRACT: Since nitrogen (N) is often limiting in permafrost soils, we investigated the N₂-fixing genetic potential and the inferred taxa harboring those genes by sequencing nifH gene fragments in samples taken along a permafrost thaw gradient in an Alaskan boreal soil. Samples from minimally, moderately and extensively thawed sites were taken to a depth of 79 cm to encompass zones above and below the depth of the water table. NifH reads were translated with frameshift correction and 112,476 sequences were clustered at 5% amino acid dissimilarity resulting in 1,631 OTUs. Sample depth in relation to water table depth was correlated to differences in the NifH sequence classes with those most closely related to group I nifH-harboring Alpha- and Beta-Proteobacteria

SUBMITTER: Penton CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5121533 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature