| Description |
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is released from the soil into the atmosphere, which contributes heavily to global warming. One potential way of reducing the amount of methane in the air is through studying methane consuming bacteria (methanotrophs) and how they interact with other microbes such as methane producers (methanogens). Experimental data from existing studies show that methanotrophic activity is relatively high in dry soil versus riparian soil, and that riparian soils have a higher methane flux than dry soil due to the higher number of methanogens that live in wet conditions. The absence of water in the dry soil eliminates much of the microbial biodiversity and causes a reduction of methanogenic activity and less methane flux. Additionally, without competition from other microbes, certain methanotrophic species can survive and increase overall methane oxidation. Therefore, in this study we explore the connection between methane flux in riparian and dry soils, and the composition of microbial communities collected from Red Butte Canyon from the months of April to October 2021. Using Illumina 16S Next Gen sequencing we determined the relative abundance of methanotrophs, and methanogens present in riparian and dry soils, and compared them to the methane gas flux collected from each month. We found that the dry soil yielded a greater abundance of methanotrophs, methanogens, and overall microbial diversity than the riparian soil in Red Butte Canyon. We also discovered that the riparian soil produced a greater methane flux than the dry soil for each month, with the greatest difference in flux occurring in October. By understanding how microbial relations affect methane flux in different soils, we hope to significantly reduce the methane output in the atmosphere. |
