Aerobic methane oxidation and methanotroph community composition during seasonal stratification in Mono Lake, California (USA)

Patterns of aerobic methane (CH4) oxidation and associated methanotroph community composition were investigated during the development of seasonal stratification in Mono Lake, California (USA). CH4 oxidation rates were measured using a tritiated CH4 radiotracer technique. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequence analysis were used to characterize methanotroph community composition. A temporally shifting zone of elevated CH4 oxidation (59-123 nM day(-1)) was consistently associated with a suboxycline, microaerophilic zone that migrated upwards in the water column as stratification progressed. FISH analysis revealed stable numbers of type I (4.1-9.3 x 10(5) cells ml(-1)) and type II (1.4-3.4 x 10(5) cells ml(-1)) methanotrophs over depth and over time. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and sequence analysis indicated slight shifts in methanotroph community composition despite stable absolute cell numbers. Variable CH4 oxidation rates in the presence of a relatively stable methanotroph population suggested that zones of high CH4 oxidation resulted from an increase in activity of a subset of the existing methanotroph population. These results challenge existing paradigms suggesting that zones of elevated CH4 oxidation activity result from the accumulation of methanotrophic biomass and illustrate that type II methanotrophs may be an important component of the methanotroph population in saline and/or alkaline pelagic environments.