Spatial variability of sediment methane production and methanogen communities within a eutrophic reservoir: Importance of organic matter source and quantity.

ABSTRACT: Freshwater reservoirs are an important source of the greenhouse gas methane (CH₄) to the atmosphere, but global emission estimates are poorly constrained (13.3-52.5 Tg C yr^-1), partially due to extreme spatial variability in emission rates within and among reservoirs. Spatial heterogeneity in the availability of organic matter (OM) for biological CH₄ production by methanogenic archaea may be an important contributor to this variation. To investigate this, we measured sediment CH₄ potential production rates, OM source and quantity, and methanogen community composition at 15 sites within a eutrophic reservoir in Ohio, USA. CH₄ production rates were highest in the shallow riverine inlet zone of the reservoir, even when rates were normaliz

SUBMITTER: Berberich ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7425684 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature