The abstract is read at the publisher; the summary is JClub's.
Aerobic methane oxidation in Chinese rice paddy soils is linked to higher methylmercury (MeHg) production, with CH4 addition increasing MeHg by 40.7–177.7% in microcosms.
- Why it matters: The role of aerobic CH4 oxidation in microbial mercury methylation is unclear, limiting understanding of how methane cycling may exacerbate neurotoxic MeHg in paddy ecosystems.
- What they did: A ~3300 km China field survey combined with 13CH4-DNA stable isotope probing tested links among CH4 oxidation activity, pmoA and hgcA abundances, and MeHg; microcosms added CH4 and tracked MeHg and hgcA expression.
- The result: CH4 addition raised hgcA expression by 49.5–416.0% and 13CH4-DNA-SIP identified 112 hgcA-containing OTUs incorporating 13C, with carbon transfer likely via methanotroph-to-Hg-methylators metabolic handoffs.
The findingWhy it mattersWhat they didThe result
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