Microorganisms of methane cycle in natural peat soils and hydrological elements of drained peatlands

Soils of peatlands and wetlands are important as a source or sink of carbon greenhouse gases, which fluxes can differ signifi-cantly depending on soil transformation during land and soil management. Effect of human intervention into peatlands dis-turbs the balance between production and consumption of greenhouse gases, which can lead to unusually high meathen emis-sions from hydrological elements of man-made drain ditch network. In order to identify mechanisms for regulation of men-tioned processes were have used molecular ecology techniques (PCR, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of ribosomal and functional genes) for studying diversity of methanotrophs and methanogens in peat soils of natural wetland and hydro-logical elements - drain ditches. Studies revealed that methanotrophic Alphaproteobacteria dominated in peat soil of natural wetland and forest soil from nearby the wetland, while peat soil of drain ditch appeared to be inhabited only by methanotro-phic Gammaproteobacteria. As for methanogens, no methane-producing archaea were detected in upper biogeochemically active layer of peat soil from natural wetland and in forest soil, meanwhile methanogens of Methanosarcinales, Methanomi-crobiales and Methanobacteriales were found in peat soil of drain ditch. Our data indicate drastic changes in microbial com-munities, involved in methane cycle in hydrological elements of drained peatlands, and thus cane used for monitoring effects of human impact on peatland ecosystems.