Exploring simultaneous nitrous oxide and methane sink in wetland sediments under anoxic conditions

Abstract

Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are the most powerful greenhouse gases globally; recent emissions exceed previous estimates. The potential link between N2O reduction and CH4 oxidation in anoxic wetland sediments would be a sink for both gases, which has attracted broad attention. To explore the simultaneous N2O and CH4 biotransformation, wetland sediments were used to inoculate an enrichment reactor, continuously fed with CH4 and N2O for 500 days. After enrichment, the CH4 oxidation rate reached 2.8 μmol·g-1dw·d-1, which was 800-fold higher than the rate of the wetland sediments used as inoculum. Moreover, stable isotopic tracing proved CH4 oxidation was driven by N2O consumption under anoxic conditions. Genomic sequencing showed that the microbial community was dominated by methanotrophs. Species of Methylocaldum genus, belonging to γ-Proteobacteria class, were significantly enriched, and became the predominant methanotrophs. Quantitative analysis indicated methane monooxygenase and nitrous oxide reductase increased by 38- and 8-fold compared to the inoculum. As to the potential mechanisms, we propose that N2O-driven CH4 oxidation was mediated by aerobic methanotrophs solely or along with denitrifying bacteria under hypoxia. Electrons and energy are generated and transferred in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. Our findings expand the range of electron acceptors associated with CH4 oxidation as well as elucidate the significant role of methanotrophs relative to both carbon and nitrogen cycles.