Defining the <i>Sphagnum</i> Core Microbiome across the North American Continent Reveals a Central Role for Diazotrophic Methanotrophs in the Nitrogen and Carbon Cycles of Boreal Peatland Ecosystems
Max Kolton, David J. Weston, Xavier Mayali, Peter Weber, Karis J. McFarlane, Jennifer Pett‐Ridge, Mark M. Somoza, Jory Lietard, Jennifer B. Glass, Erik A. Lilleskov, A. Jonathan Shaw, Susannah G. Tringe, Paul J. Hanson, Joel E. Kostka
Abstract
Nitrogen availability frequently limits photosynthetic production in Sphagnum moss-dominated high-latitude peatlands, which are crucial carbon-sequestering ecosystems at risk to climate change effects. It has been previously suggested that microbial methane-fueled fixation of atmospheric nitrogen (N 2 ) may occur in these ecosystems, but this process and the organisms involved are largely uncharacterized.
Topics & Concepts
SphagnumPeatEcosystemDiazotrophBorealEnvironmental scienceNitrogen fixationEcologyMossPhotosynthesisNitrogen cycleClimate changeCarbon cycleNitrogenBiologyChemistryBotanyOrganic chemistryPeatlands and Wetlands EcologyCoastal wetland ecosystem dynamicsMethane Hydrates and Related Phenomena