Global Asymmetry in Aerobic and Anaerobic Methane-Oxidation Potential across Wetlands Inferred by Functional Genes

Wetlands are the largest natural source of atmospheric methane (CH4), yet up to 90% of produced CH4 can be oxidized by methanotrophs before emission, making microbial CH4 oxidation a critical regulator of the global CH4 budget. Leveraging cumulative genomic datasets, we synthesized data from 1,372 field sites worldwide to investigate the abundance of key functional genes associated with aerobic (pmoA) and anaerobic (ANME, NC10) methanotrophy across six major wetland types.