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Title: Disentangling the complexity of permafrost soil by using high resolution profiling of microbial community composition, key functions and respiration rates: High resolution permafrost microbial profile

Journal Article · · Environmental Microbiology
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [5];  [3];  [6]
  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen Norway
  2. Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, DK-4000 Roskilde Denmark, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen Denmark
  3. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99354 USA
  4. Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Center for Permafrost (CENPERM), University of Copenhagen, DK-1350 Copenhagen Denmark
  5. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA 94720 USA
  6. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, N-5020, Bergen Norway, University Center in Svalbard, UNIS, N-9171, Longyearbyen Norway
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Thawing permafrost can stimulate microbial activity, leading to faster decomposition of formerly preserved organic matter and CO2 release. Detailed knowledge about the vertical distribution of the responsible microbial community that is changing with increasing soil depth is limited. In this study, we determined the microbial community composition from cores sampled in a high Arctic heath at Svalbard, Norway; spanning from the active layer (AL) into the permafrost layer (PL). A special aim has been on identifying a layer of recently thawed soil, the transition zone (TZ), which might provide new insights into the fate of thawing permafrost. A unique sampling strategy allowed us to observe a diverse and gradually shifting microbial community in the AL, a Bacteroidetes dominated community in the TZ, and throughout the PL, a community strongly dominated by a single Actinobacteria family (Intrasporangiaceae). The contrasting abundances of these two taxa caused a community difference of about 60%, just within three centimeters from TZ to PL. We incubated sub-samples at about 5°C and measured highest CO2 production rates under aerobic incubations, yet contrasting for five different layers and correlating to the microbial community composition. This high resolution strategy provides new insights on how microbial communities are structured in permafrost and a better understanding of how they respond to thaw.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1462122
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1462123; OSTI ID: 1476599; OSTI ID: 1496793
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-130170
Journal Information:
Environmental Microbiology, Journal Name: Environmental Microbiology; ISSN 1462-2912
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 26 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Figures / Tables (8)

Figure 1(p. 30)figure Figure 1
Figure 2(p. 31)figure Figure 2
Figure 3(p. 32)figure Figure 3
Figure 4(p. 33)figure Figure 4
Figure 5(p. 34)figure Figure 5
Figure 6(p. 35)figure Figure 6
Table 1(p. 36)table Table 1
Table 2(p. 37)table Table 2

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Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
permafrost
16SrRNA sequencing
intrasporangiaceae
greenhouse emissions
CO2
soil profile