Hydrology is reflected in the functioning and community composition of methanotrophs in the littoral wetland of a boreal lake

In lake ecosystems a major proportion of methane (CH4) emissions originate from the littoral zone, which can have a great spatial variability in hydrology, soil quality and vegetation. Hitherto, spatial heterogeneity and the effects it has on functioning and diversity of methanotrophs in littoral wetlands have been poorly understood. A diagnostic microarray based on the particulate methane monooxygenase gene coupled with geostatistics was used to analyse spatial patterns of methanotrophs in the littoral wetland of a eutrophic boreal lake (Lake Kevaton, Eastern Finland). The wetland had a hydrology gradient with a mean water table varying from −8 to −25 cm. The wettest area, comprising the h…