Journal article
Microbial community structure in a Malaysian tropical peat swamp forest: the influence of tree species and depth
Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol.9, 2859
2018
Abstract
Tropical peat swamp forests sequester globally significant stores of carbon in deep layers of waterlogged, anoxic, acidic and nutrient-depleted peat. The roles of microbes in supporting these forests through the formation of peat, carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling are virtually unknown. This study investigated physiochemical peat properties and microbial diversity between three dominant tree species: Shorea uliginosa (Dipterocarpaceae), Koompassia malaccensis (legumes associated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria), Eleiodoxa conferta (palm) and depths (surface, 45 cm, 90 cm) using microbial 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Water pH, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, total phenolic contents and C/N ratio differed significantly between depths, but not tree species. Depth also strongly influenced microbial diversity and composition, while both depth and tree species exhibited significant impact on the archaeal communities. Microbial diversity was highest at the surface, where fresh leaf litter accumulates, and nutrient supply is guaranteed. Nitrogen was the core parameter correlating to microbial communities, but the interactive effects from various environmental variables displayed significant correlation to relative abundance of major microbial groups. Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum and the most abundant genus, Rhodoplanes, might be involved in nitrogen fixation. The most abundant methanogens and methanotrophs affiliated respectively to families Methanomassiliicoccaceae and Methylocystaceae. Our results demonstrated diverse microbial communities and provide valuable insights on microbial ecology in these extreme ecosystems.
Details
- Title
- Microbial community structure in a Malaysian tropical peat swamp forest: the influence of tree species and depth
- Authors
- Chin Chin Too (Author) - Monash University Malaysia, MalaysiaAlexander Keller (Author) - Universität Würzburg, GermanyWiebke Sickel (Author) - Universität Bonn, GermanySui Mae Lee (Author) - Monash University Malaysia, MalaysiaCatherine M Yule (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
- Publication details
- Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol.9, 2859; 13
- Publisher
- Frontiers Research Foundation
- Date published
- 2018
- DOI
- 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02859
- ISSN
- 1664-302X
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2018 Too, Keller, Sickel, Lee and Yule. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450800702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
6 File views/ downloads
299 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Microbiology
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites