Global drivers of methane oxidation and denitrifying gene distribution in drylands

Aim: Microorganisms carrying pmoA and nosZ genes are major drivers of methane
and nitrous oxide fluxes from soils. However, most studies on these organisms have
been conducted in mesic ecosystems; therefore, little is known about the factors
driving their distribution in drylands, the largest biome on Earth. We conducted a
global survey to evaluate the role of climate‐ and soil‐related variables as predictors
of the richness, abundance and community structure of bacteria carrying pmoA and
nosZ genes.
Location: Eighty dryland ecosystems distributed worldwide.
Time period: From February 2006 to December 2011.
Major taxa studied: Methanotrophic (carrying the pmoA gene) and denitrifiying (carrying
the nosZ gene) bacteria.
Methods: We used data from a field survey and structural equation modelling to
evaluate the direct and indirect effects of climatic (aridity, rainfall seasonality and
mean annual temperature) and soil (organic carbon, pH and texture) variables on the
total abundance, richness and community structure of microorganisms carrying
pmoA and nosZ genes.
Results: Taxa related to Methylococcus capsulatus or Methylocapsa sp., often associated
with mesic environments, were common in global drylands. The abundance and
richness of methanotrophs were not associated with climate or soil properties.
However, mean annual temperature, rainfall seasonality, organic C, pH and sand content
were highly correlated with their community structure. Aridity and soil variables,
such as sand content and pH, were correlated with the abundance, community structure
and richness of the nosZ bacterial community.
Main conclusions: Our study provides new insights into the drivers of the abundance,
richness and community structure of soil microorganisms carrying pmoA and nosZ
genes in drylands worldwide. We highlight how ongoing climate change will alter the
structure of soil microorganisms, which might affect the net CH4 exchange and will
probably reduce the capacity of dryland soils to carry out the final step of denitrification,
favouring net N2O emissions.