title: Can abundance of methanogen be a good indicator for CH4 flux in soil ecosystems?
abstract: Methane, which is produced by methanogenic archaea, is the second most abundant carbon compound in the atmosphere. Due to its strong radiative forcing, many studies have been conducted to determine its sources, budget, and dynamics. However, a mechanistic model of methane flux has not been developed thus far. In this study, we attempt to examine the relevance of the abundance of methanogen as a biological indicator of methane flux in three different types of soil ecosystems: permafrost, rice paddy, and mountainous wetland. We measured the annual average methane flux and abundance of methanogen in the soil ecosystems in situ. The correlation between methane flux and the abundance of methanogen exists only under a specific biogeochemical conditions such as SOM of higher than 60%, pH of 5.6-6.4, and water-saturated. Except for these conditions, significant correlations were absent. Therefore, microbial abundance information can be applied to a methane flux model selectively depending on the biogeochemical properties of the soil ecosystem.
authors.affiliation: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 120-749, Korea.
authors.forename: Jinhyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 120-749, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Ecology, Geumgang-ro, Maseo-Myeon, Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, 325-318, Korea.
authors.forename: Inyoung
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 120-749, Korea.
authors.forename: Sangseom
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 120-749, Korea. hj_kang@yonsei.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hojeong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D017753:Ecosystem; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008697:Methane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D065946:Permafrost / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D008697:Methane
keywords: Methane flux; Methanogen; Soil ecosystem; Soil organic matter; pH