Response Mechanism of cbbM Carbon Sequestration Microbial Community Characteristics in Different Wetland Types in Qinghai Lake

Abstract

Carbon-sequestering microorganisms play an important role in the carbon cycle of wetland ecosystems. However, the response mechanism of carbon-sequestering microbial communities to wetland type changes and their relationship with soil carbon remain unclear. To explore these differences and identify the main influencing factors, this study selected marsh wetlands, river wetlands and lakeside wetlands around Qinghai Lake as research subjects. High-throughput sequencing was employed to analyze the functional gene cbbM of carbon-sequestering microorganisms. The results revealed that the alpha diversity of cbbM carbon-sequestering microorganisms mirrored the trend in total carbon content, with the highest diversity observed in marsh wetlands and the lowest in lakeside wetlands. The dominant bacterial phylum was Proteobacteria, with prevalent genera including Thiothrix, Acidithiobacillus, and Thiodictyon. Acidithiobacillus served as a biomarker in lakeside wetlands, while two other genera were indicative of marsh wetlands. The hierarchical partitioning analysis indicated that the diversity of cbbM carbon-fixing microorganisms was primarily influenced by the total nitrogen content, while the community structure was significantly affected by the soil total carbon content. Moreover, an increased soil temperature and humidity were found to favor the carbon fixation processes of Thiomicrospira, Thiomonas, Polaromonas, and Acidithiobacillus. In summary, changes in wetland types seriously affected the characteristics of cbbM carbon sequestration in microbial communities, and a warm and humid climate may be conducive to wetland carbon sequestration.