Mitigation of Methane Emissions from Peatlands - a Role for Micro-propagated Sphagnum-Associated Methanotrophs

Peatlands store over 30% of terrestrial carbon, primarily from Sphagnum mosses and their symbiotic methanotrophic bacteria. However, over 15% of peatlands have been destroyed globally due to human activities and climate change, with less than 20% surviving in the UK. Restoration projects aim to rewet peatlands and replant Sphagnum moss in damaged areas. Prior research indicates that methane emissions from peatlands are significantly reduced when using Beadamoss-grown Sphagnum moss (BeadaHumok) for restoration. However, the association of methanotrophic bacteria with micropropagated Sphagnum remains unproven.
This project aims to characterize the structure and ecophysiology of methanotrophs associated with sustainably grown Sphagnum moss. You will determine methane oxidation potential and identify associated methanotrophs in different Sphagnum mosses grown in greenhouses using both cultivation-dependent and -independent approaches. You will study the ecophysiology of Sphagnum-associated methanotrophs, investigate their interaction with mosses, and develop a quality control procedure to assess methanotroph presence and activity before using mosses in restoration projects. Additionally, the project will evaluate whether moss-associated methanotrophs are maintained in bogs post-restoration.
The diversity and activity of Sphagnum-associated methanotrophs will be determined using molecular methods targeting DNA, RNA, and protein, including quantitative PCR and metagenomic/metatranscriptomic/metaproteomic approaches. Stable isotope incubations with 13C-labeled substrates will be used to determine the substrate range of potentially facultative methanotrophs. Isolation of methanotrophs will also be conducted. High-throughput sequencing methods will be developed to detect the colonization and distribution of methanotrophs in Sphagnum moss and applied to peatland restoration projects before and after transplantation.