Distinct microbial communities drive methane cycling in below- and above-ground compartments of tropical cloud forests growing on peat

作者：Fahad Ali Kazmi, Ülo Mander, Ramita Khanongnuch, Maarja Öpik, Reti Ranniku, Kaido Soosaar, Mohit Masta, Salla Tenhovirta, Kuno Kasak, Claudine Ah‐Peng, Mikk Espenberg · 发表于：Environmental Microbiome · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s40793-025-00718-1 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena、Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology、Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics

Cloud forests are unique yet understudied ecosystems regarding CH4 exchange despite their significance in carbon storage. We investigated CH4 fluxes in peat soil and tree stems of two tropical cloud forests on Réunion Island, one featuring Erica reunionensis and the second a mix of E. reunionensis and Alsophila glaucifolia. The study examined microbiomes across below-ground (soil) and above-ground (canopy soil, leaves, and stems) forest compartments. Metagenomics and qPCR analyses targeted key genes in methanogenesis and methanotrophy in soil and above-ground samples, alongside soil physicochemical measurements. CH4 fluxes from peat soil and tree stems were measured using gas chromatography and portable trace gas analyzers. Peat soil in both forests acted as a CH4 sink (− 23.8 ± 4.84 µg C m− 2 h− 1) and CO2 source (55.5 ± 5.51 µg C m− 2 h− 1), with higher CH4 uptake in sites dominated by endemic tree species E. reunionensis. In forest soils, a high abundance of n-DAMO 16 S rRNA gene (3.42 × 107 ± 7 × 106 copies/g dw) was associated with nitrate levels and higher rates of CH4 uptake and CO2 emissions. NC-10 bacteria (0.1–0.3%) were detected in only the Erica forest soil, verrucomicrobial methanotrophs (0.1–3.1%) only in the mixed forest soil, whereas alphaproteobacterial methanotrophs (0.1–3.3%) were present in all soils. Tree stems in both forests were weak sinks of CH4 (-0.94 ± 0.4 µg C m− 2 h− 1). The canopy soil hosted verrucomicrobial methanotrophs (0.1–0.3%). The leaves ...