Seasonal change in methanotrophic diversity and populations in a rice field soil assessed by DNA-stable isotope probing and quantitative real-time PCR.

The community structure of methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) is affected by concentrations of methane and oxygen. In rice fields, concentrations of both gases differ significantly between the flooded and drained seasons. We investigated the active methanotrophic community structures in flooded and drained soils by DNA-based stable isotope probing. Active methanotrophic diversity was assessed with clone library-based analyses of the 16S rRNA gene and the particulate methane monooxygenase gene (pmoA). The active methanotrophic populations were also estimated by group-specific quantitative real-time PCR assays targeting the 16S rRNA gene and the pmoA gene in (13)C-labeled DNA. These molecular biological analyses showed that the flooded rice field soil was dominated by Type II methanotrophs closely related to the genera Methylocystis and Methylosinus, whereas the drained rice field soil was dominated by Type I methanotrophs closely related to the genera Methylomonas, Methylosarcina, and Methylomicrobium. The alternating conditions in a rice field select for methanotrophs adapted to each environment, resulting in a dramatic change in methanotrophic community structure from one season to another.