Abstract
Thermokarst activity at permafrost sites releases considerable amounts of ancient carbon to the atmosphere. A large part of this carbon is released via thermokarst ponds, and fungi could be an important organismal group enabling its recycling. However, our knowledge about aquatic fungi in thermokarstic systems is extremely limited. In this study, we collected samples from five permafrost sites distributed across circumpolar Arctic and representing different stages of permafrost integrity. Surface water samples were taken from the ponds and, additionally, for most of the ponds also the detritus and sediment samples were taken. All the samples were extracted for total DNA, which was then amplified for the fungal ITS2 region of the ribosomal genes. These amplicons were sequenced using PacBio technology. Water samples were also collected to analyze the chemical conditions in the ponds, including nutrient status and the quality and quantity of dissolved organic carbon. This dataset gives a unique overview of the impact of the thawing permafrost on fungal communities and their potential role on carbon recycling.
Highlights
Background & SummaryFrozen tundra soils hold one of the Earth’s largest pools of organic carbon
The vast amount of organic matter released from the degrading permafrost ends up in these ponds[4], where it can sink and be stored in the sediment, or be recycled in the microbial loop, generating greenhouse gases (GHG) as end products[5,6]
Most of the research on the microbial activity in the thermokarst ponds concentrates on prokaryotes[7,8,9,10] and, despite the central role of fungi as decomposers of the organic matter in terrestrial ecosystems[11,12,13], very little is known about the fungal communities in aquatic environments, especially in the Arctic
Summary
Background & SummaryFrozen tundra soils hold one of the Earth’s largest pools of organic carbon. We collected surface water, detritus and sediment from thermokarst ponds in five different permafrost areas in the Arctic. At the Canadian site, the ponds represented three different stages of permafrost thaw, including emerging, developing and mature thermokarst ponds; four ponds were sampled for each of these three stages[8,14].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
