AUTHOR=Kox Martine A. R. , Smolders Alfons J. P. , Speth Daan R. , Lamers Leon P. M. , Op den Camp Huub J. M. , Jetten Mike S. M. , van Kessel Maartje A. H. J. 

TITLE=A Novel Laboratory-Scale Mesocosm Setup to Study Methane Emission Mitigation by Sphagnum Mosses and Associated Methanotrophs

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.651103

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2021.651103

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Degraded peatlands are often rewetted to prevent oxidation of the peat, which reduces CO<sub>2</sub> emission. However, the created anoxic conditions will boost methane (CH<sub>4</sub>) production and thus emission. Here, we show that submerged <italic>Sphagnum</italic> peat mosses in rewetted-submerged peatlands can reduce CH<sub>4</sub> emission from peatlands with 93%. We were able to mimic the field situation in the laboratory by using a novel mesocosm set-up. By combining these with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and qPCR analysis of the <italic>pmoA</italic> and <italic>mmoX</italic> genes, we showed that submerged <italic>Sphagnum</italic> mosses act as a niche for CH<sub>4</sub> oxidizing bacteria. The tight association between <italic>Sphagnum</italic> peat mosses and methane oxidizing bacteria (MOB) significantly reduces CH<sub>4</sub> emissions by peatlands and can be studied in more detail in the mesocosm setup developed in this study.</p>