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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2007, p. 4135-4141, Vol. 73, No. 13
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02557-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Structure and Function of Methanogens along a Short-Term Restoration Chronosequence in the Florida Everglades

Jason M. Smith, Hector Castro, and Andrew Ogram^*

Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0290

Received 1 November 2006/ Accepted 12 April 2007

The removal of plants and soil to bedrock to eradicate exotic invasive plants within the Hole-in-the-Donut (HID) region, part of the Everglades National Park (Florida), presented a unique opportunity to study the redevelopment of soil and the associated microbial communities in the context of short-term primary succession and ecosystem restoration. The goal of this study was to identify relationships between soil redevelopment and activity and composition of methanogenic assemblages in HID soils. Methane production potentials indicated a general decline in methanogenic activity with restoration age. Microcosm incubations strongly suggested hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis as the most favorable pathway for methane formation in HID soils from all sites. Culture-independent techniques targeting methyl coenzyme M reductase genes (mcrA) were used to assess the dynamics of methanogenic assemblages. Clone libraries were dominated by sequences related to hydrogenotrophic methanogens of the orders Methanobacteriales and Methanococcales and suggested a general decline in the relative abundance of Methanobacteriales mcrA with time since restoration. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis indicated methanogenic assemblages remain relatively stable between wet and dry seasons. Interestingly, analysis of soils across the restoration chronosequence indicated a shift in Methanobacteriales populations with restoration age, suggesting genotypic shifts due to site-specific factors.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: P.O. Box 110290, 2169 McCarty Hall, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-0290. Phone: (352) 392-5790. Fax: (352) 392-3902. E-mail: avo{at}mail.ifas.ufl.edu

Published ahead of print on 20 April 2007.

Present address: NASA Ames Research Center, Exobiology Branch, Mail Stop 239-4, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000.

Present address: Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6038.

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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 2007, p. 4135-4141, Vol. 73, No. 13
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02557-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

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