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Effect of temperature on methane dynamics and evaluation of methane oxidation kinetics in shallow Arctic Alaskan lakes

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Abstract

Large uncertainties exist regarding the influence of ongoing climate change to microbially mediated methane cycling in arctic lakes. Specifically, the coupled response of methanogenesis (MG) and methane oxidation (Mox) to increased temperature is poorly understood. Therefore, the effect of temperature on rates of sediment MG and water column Mox in two shallow Arctic Alaskan lakes were evaluated in 2010. To understand the capacity of Mox to offset potential increases in dissolved methane concentrations, kinetics of water column Mox were also determined. Rates of MG responded positively to increased temperature with a greater influence exerted at higher incubation temperatures. Substrate-saturated Mox significantly increased with temperature and was controlled by substrate and temperature interactions. In contrast, substrate-limited Mox was not influenced by temperature and was controlled by substrate supply. Analysis of Mox kinetics pointed to a community of water column dwelling methane oxidizing bacteria that are capable of oxidizing dissolved methane concentrations far in excess of observed levels. Assuming no diffusion limitation, our results suggest that Mox will likely offset increased MG in response to elevated temperature regimes as a function of ongoing climate change.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Gabe McGowan and Kristen Bretz for field and lab assistance as well as the Toolik Field Station Staff for logistical support. This work was funded by NSF Grants 0807094 and 0516043. We would also like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their valuable input that improved this manuscript.

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  1. LimnoTech, Oakdale, MN, USA

    Dendy D. Lofton

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Stephen C. Whalen

  3. Biology Department, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Anne E. Hershey

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  1. Dendy D. Lofton
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Lofton, D.D., Whalen, S.C. & Hershey, A.E. Effect of temperature on methane dynamics and evaluation of methane oxidation kinetics in shallow Arctic Alaskan lakes. Hydrobiologia 721, 209–222 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-013-1663-x

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