TY - JOUR
T1 - Microbial activity, methane production, and carbon storage in Early Holocene North Sea peats
AU - Lippmann, Tanya J.R.
AU - Zandt, Michiel H.
AU - Van Der Putten, Nathalie N.L.
AU - Busschers, Freek S.
AU - Hijma, Marc P.
AU - Van Der Velden, Pieter
AU - De Groot, Tim
AU - Van Aalderen, Zicarlo
AU - Meisel, Ove H.
AU - Slomp, Caroline P.
AU - Niemann, Helge
AU - Jetten, Mike S.M.
AU - Dolman, Han A.J.
AU - Welte, Cornelia U.
N1 - Funding Information:
Financial support. This research has been supported by the Ned-
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright:
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/10/11
Y1 - 2021/10/11
N2 - Northern latitude peatlands act as important carbon sources and sinks, but little is known about the greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets of peatlands that were submerged beneath the North Sea during the last glacial-interglacial transition. We found that whilst peat formation was diachronous, commencing between 13g680 and 8360 calibrated years before the present, stratigraphic layering and local vegetation succession were consistent across a large study area. Large carbon stores were measured. In situ methane (CH4) concentrations of sediment pore waters were widespread but low at most sites, with the exception of two locations. Incubation experiments in the laboratory revealed molecular signatures of methanogenic archaea, with strong increases in rates of activity upon methylated substrate amendment. Remarkably, methanotrophic activity and the respective diagnostic molecular signatures could not be detected. Heterotrophic Bathyarchaeota dominated the archaeal communities, and bacterial populations were dominated by candidate phylum JS1 bacteria. In the absence of active methanogenic microorganisms, we conclude that these sediment harbour low concentrations of widespread millennia-old CH4. The presence of large widespread stores of carbon and in situ methanogenic microorganisms, in the absence of methanotrophic microorganisms, holds the potential for microbial CH4 production if catalysed by a change in environmental conditions.
AB - Northern latitude peatlands act as important carbon sources and sinks, but little is known about the greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets of peatlands that were submerged beneath the North Sea during the last glacial-interglacial transition. We found that whilst peat formation was diachronous, commencing between 13g680 and 8360 calibrated years before the present, stratigraphic layering and local vegetation succession were consistent across a large study area. Large carbon stores were measured. In situ methane (CH4) concentrations of sediment pore waters were widespread but low at most sites, with the exception of two locations. Incubation experiments in the laboratory revealed molecular signatures of methanogenic archaea, with strong increases in rates of activity upon methylated substrate amendment. Remarkably, methanotrophic activity and the respective diagnostic molecular signatures could not be detected. Heterotrophic Bathyarchaeota dominated the archaeal communities, and bacterial populations were dominated by candidate phylum JS1 bacteria. In the absence of active methanogenic microorganisms, we conclude that these sediment harbour low concentrations of widespread millennia-old CH4. The presence of large widespread stores of carbon and in situ methanogenic microorganisms, in the absence of methanotrophic microorganisms, holds the potential for microbial CH4 production if catalysed by a change in environmental conditions.
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U2 - 10.5194/bg-2020-383
DO - 10.5194/bg-2020-383
M3 - Article
VL - 18
SP - 5491
EP - 5511
JO - Biogeosciences
JF - Biogeosciences
SN - 1726-4170
IS - 19
ER -