Inter-trophic networks reveal the central role of methanogens in deposited estuarine soils

Abstract

Exploring methane-metabolizing microorganisms' distribution patterns and driving factors is significant for estimating the global methane budget, but our current knowledge is limited. In this study, we took a systematic soil and microbial survey along the coast of river channels in the Yellow River Delta, which included the most rapidly deposited sedimentation globally. The prokaryotes, fungi, and protists had more significant changes between two regions with distinct deposition ages than across soil depths, while the accumulation of soil organic matter was the most critical external driving force for the succession of microbial communities. The deposition ages of sedimentary soils also altered the methanogenic and methanotrophic communities, with methanogens showing a greater response to environmental gradient changes than methanotrophs. The distribution of methanogens was mainly influenced by the direct regulation of biological factors represented by fungi and indirectly regulated by environmental stresses along the sedimentation gradient. Our self-developed inter-domain ecological network platform has further investigated the inter-trophic relationships between methane-metabolizing microorganisms and other microbes. Methanogens and methanotrophs form the core species of a highly interconnected network, and there is a strong interdependence between them and fungi and protists, while other prokaryotic species are relatively independent, in addition, methanogens play a central role in species interactions as modular hubs, they tended to be associated with saprotrophic fungi in the older sedimentation region, while in the newer sedimentation region, they were more associated with bacterial groups. This study enhances our understanding of the microbial hierarchical web in coastal wetland ecosystems.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

interdomain network / deposited estuarine soils / methanogens / methanotrophs

Highlight

	● Microbial communities changed more significantly with sedimentation age than soil depth.
	● Methanotrophs were less sensitive to environmental changes than methanogens.
	● The distribution of methanogens was mainly influenced by the direct regulation of biological factors represented by fungi.
	● Methanogens play a central role in species interactions as modular hubs.

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