Total nitrogen triggers methane generation via increasing the abundance of methanogens within oligotrophic karst caves, southwestern China (PRJCA039790)

Methanogens play a crucial role in Earth's carbon biogeochemical cycle, and nutrient variation may have particular effects on methanogenic communities. However, our understanding of the response of cave-dwelling methanogens and methane (CH4) generation to total nitrogen (TN) variation remains limited. Therefore, we collected weathered rock and sediment samples from three oligotrophic karst caves in southwestern China, and conducted high-throughput sequencing of the mcrA gene. We investigated how TN regulates CH4 generation by methanogens and how TN affects the assembly and network stability of methanogens in the deep biosphere.