Bog Comparison 16S

Peatlands store about one-third of total terrestrial carbon. Nevertheless, the role of the microbial communities in the carbon cycle of these ecosystems remains poorly understood. Microbial communities from representative peatland sites in northern Minnesota were integratively characterized through determination of greenhouse gases emissions rates, characterization of microbial community compositions. The peatland microbial communities shared similar stratification with peat depth in taxonomic and functional gene diversity, pointing to 3 depth zones (acrotelm, mesotelm, catotelm). Vertical stratification in microbial communities paralleled changes in methane production rates and organic carbon composition to indicate peat decomposition