Microbial ecology of seasonally saturated wetlands (DELMARVA Peninsula)

This study characterized the soil microbiome associated with the lateral margins of seasonally saturated wetlands to understand how different hydrologic conditions (i.e., water level, saturation duration, and frequency of wet-dry cycles) influenced microbial community structure, particularly the microorganisms responsible for regulating soil CH4 cycling (i.e., methanogens and methanotrophs). Findings suggest that soil and methane cycling microorganisms are influenced by the hydrologic conditions of the soil, with methane producers being restricted to specific ranges and methane oxidizers able to occur under a variety of hydrologic conditions.