CH₄ fluxes, raw sequencing data, methanogen and methanotroph community data, sediment physico-chemical parameters from Arcachon Bay, France, and R code supporting 'Vegetated marine sediments increase ch₄ emissions and improve methanotroph diversity compared to bare sediments'

This dataset supports the study of CH₄ fluxes and CH₄-cycling microbial communities in Zostera noltei seagrass meadows and adjacent bare sediments across seven sites in Arcachon Bay, France. The research aimed to understand how environmental and microbial parameters influence CH₄ emissions in temperate seagrass ecosystems. Data include: In situ and laboratory CH₄ and CO₂ measurements: CH₄ and CO₂ fluxes (µmol m⁻² d⁻¹) were measured in the field at low tide around midday for both vegetated and bare sediments. Laboratory incubations quantified CH₄ production and consumption as well as CO₂ production. Sediment physico-chemical parameters: Variables include organic carbon content, particle size, sedimentation rates, hydrodynamic characteristics, and other parameters relevant to carbon storage and methane dynamics. Microbial community data: Targeted metagenomics and quantitative PCR were used to characterize CH₄-producing and -consuming microbial communities through three key functional genes (mcrA, mmoX, pmoA). R scripts for statistical analyses: Scripts include Wilcoxon tests, mixed linear models, random forest analyses, correlations, and figure generation, enabling reproducibility and further exploration of the dataset. The dataset enables reproducibility and provides a comprehensive resource for investigating the interactions between sediment characteristics, microbial diversity, and CH₄ fluxes in temperate blue carbon ecosystems. Raw sequencing data from the targeted metagenomic analyses are publicly available at the NCBI under BioProject accession number PRJNA1335804.