Methane concentrations and methanotrophic community structure influence the response of soil methane oxidation to nitrogen content in a temperate forest

Methane oxidation in forest soils removes atmospheric CH₄. Many studies have determined methane uptake rates and their controlling variables, yet the microorganisms involved have rarely been assessed simultaneously over the longer term. We measured methane uptake rates and the community structure of methanotrophic bacteria in temperate forest soil (sandy clay loam) on a monthly basis for two years in South Korea. Methane uptake rates at the field site did not show any seasonal patterns, and net uptake occurred throughout both years. In situ uptake rates and uptake potentials determined in the laboratory were 2.92 ± 4.07 mg CH₄ m⁻² day⁻¹ and 51.6 ± 45.8 ng CH₄ g⁻¹ soil day⁻¹, respectively. Contrary to results from other studies, in situ oxidation rates were positively correlated with soil nitrate concentrations. Short-term experimental nitrate addition (0.20-1.95 μg N g⁻¹ soil) significantly stimulated oxidation rates under low methane concentrations (1.7-2.0 ppmv CH₄), but significantly inhibited oxidation under high methane concentrations (300 ppmv CH₄). We analyzed the community structures of methanotrophic bacteria using a DNA-based fingerprinting method (T-RFLP). Type II methanotrophs dominated under low methane concentrations while Type I methanotrophs dominated under high methane concentrations. Nitrogen addition selectively inhibited Type I methanotrophic bacteria. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the effects of inorganic N on methane uptake depend on methane concentrations and that such a response is related to the dissimilar activation or inhibition of different types of methanotrophic bacteria.     

Effect of Abiotic and Biotic Factors on the Photo-Induced Production of Dissolved Gaseous Mercury

This study was conducted to evaluate the contribution of environmental factors such as solar radiation and dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the photo-induced dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) production through laboratory experiments using field water samples collected from wetlands. DGM production was more significantly influenced by UVB intensity than UVA. DGM formation was also significantly affected by DOM chemical structure/composition rather than its concentration. Increasing NO ₃ ^? concentration limited DGM production, but photo-induced Hg oxidation stimulated by NO ₃ ^? would possibly occur when the NO ₃ ^? level is more than twice the DOC level. The addition of phosphorus into the field water samples induced a slight increase of DGM production; however, the addition of nitrogen decreased DGM formation, suggesting that an increase of limiting nutrients in water may promote biotic DGM production. Experiments using a Selenastrum capricornutum monoculture solution showed that cell density had a positive effect on DGM production. Moreover, the difference in DGM production between filtered and unfiltered samples showed that S. capricornutum significantly produced biotic DGM under UVA irradiation. Finally, our results imply that environmental factors such as light intensity, DOM sources, and site-specific microorganisms can significantly affect photo-induced Hg transformation.