Abstract
While recent reports demonstrate that the direct emission of methane from living tree trunks may be a significant terrestrial emission source, there has been debate whether tree emissions are due to transport from soils or produced in the wood environment itself. Reports of methanogens from wood of trees were prominent in the literature 40 years ago but have not been revisited with molecular ecology approaches. We examined communities associated with Populus deltoides using rRNA gene sequence analyses and how these vary with tree and wood properties. Our data indicate that wood environments are dominated by anaerobic microbiomes. Methanogens are prominent in heartwood (mean 34% relative abundance) compared to sapwood environments (13%), and dominant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were classified as the Methanobacterium sp. Members of the Firmicutes phylum comprised 39% of total sequences and were in 42% greater abundance in sapwood over heartwood niches. Tree diameter was the strongest predictor of methanogen abundance, but wood moisture content and pH were also significant predictors of taxon abundance and overall community composition. Unlike microbiomes of the soil, rhizosphere and phyllosphere, wood associated communities are shaped by unique environmental conditions and may be prominent and overlooked sources of methane emissions in temperate forest systems.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Methanogens were more prominent in heartwood (mean 34% relative abundance) than in sapwood environments (13%).
- Taxon
- Populus deltoides
Populus deltoidest1 - Organ / stage
- heartwoode1
- Interactor
- Methanogense1other
- Outcome
- relative abundancee1
- Direction
- higherinferrede1
- Value
- 34%e1
- Comparator
- sapwood environmentse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)”
e1“Methanogens are prominent in heartwood (mean 34% relative abundance) compared to sapwood environments (13%)”
Claim · model-written summary
Firmicutes phylum members made up 39% of total sequences.
- Taxon
- Populus deltoidesPopulus deltoidest1
- Interactor
- Firmicutes phylume1other
- Outcome
- total sequencese1
- Value
- 39%e1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)”
e1“Members of the Firmicutes phylum comprised 39% of total sequences and were in 42% greater abundance in sapwood over heartwood niches”
Claim · model-written summary
Firmicutes phylum was 42% more abundant in sapwood than in heartwood.
- Taxon
- Populus deltoidesPopulus deltoidest1
- Organ / stage
- sapwoode1
- Interactor
- Firmicutes phylume1other
- Outcome
- abundancee1
- Direction
- greatere1
- Value
- 42%e1
- Comparator
- heartwood nichese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)”
e1“Members of the Firmicutes phylum comprised 39% of total sequences and were in 42% greater abundance in sapwood over heartwood niches”
Claim · model-written summary
Tree diameter was the strongest predictor of methanogen abundance.
- Taxon
- Populus deltoidesPopulus deltoidest1
- Treatment
- Tree diametere2
- Outcome
- methanogen abundancee2
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)”
e2“Tree diameter was the strongest predictor of methanogen abundance”
Claim · model-written summary
Wood moisture content and pH were significant predictors of taxon abundance and overall community composition.
- Taxon
- Populus deltoidesPopulus deltoidest1
- Treatment
- wood moisture content and pHe3
- Outcome
- taxon abundance and overall community compositione3
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)”
e3“but wood moisture content and pH were also significant predictors of taxon abundance and overall community composition”
Claim · model-written summary
Wood environments are dominated by anaerobic microbiomes.
- Taxon
- Populus deltoidesPopulus deltoidest1
- Outcome
- dominated by anaerobic microbiomese4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)”
e4“Our data indicate that wood environments are dominated by anaerobic microbiomes”
Claim · model-written summary
The dominant operational taxonomic units in wood were classified as Methanobacterium sp.
- Taxon
- Populus deltoidesPopulus deltoidest1
- Interactor
- Methanobacterium sp.
Methanobacteriume5other - Outcome
- dominant operational taxonomic units (OTUs)e5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)”
e5“dominant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were classified as the Methanobacterium sp.”
Claim · model-written summary
Wood-associated communities may be prominent and overlooked sources of methane emissions in temperate forest systems.
- Taxon
- Populus deltoidesPopulus deltoidest1
- Outcome
- sources of methane emissionse6
- Setting
- temperate forest systemse6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)”
e6“may be prominent and overlooked sources of methane emissions in temperate forest systems”