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Viral and metabolic controls on high rates of microbial sulfur and carbon cycling in wetland ecosystems

Overview of attention for article published in Microbiome, August 2018
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  • In the top 25% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (87th percentile)
  • Average Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source

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Title
Viral and metabolic controls on high rates of microbial sulfur and carbon cycling in wetland ecosystems
Published in
Microbiome, August 2018
DOI 10.1186/s40168-018-0522-4
Pubmed ID
Authors

Paula Dalcin Martins, Robert E. Danczak, Simon Roux, Jeroen Frank, Mikayla A. Borton, Richard A. Wolfe, Marie N. Burris, Michael J. Wilkins

Abstract

Microorganisms drive high rates of methanogenesis and carbon mineralization in wetland ecosystems. These signals are especially pronounced in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, the tenth largest wetland ecosystem in the world. Sulfate reduction rates up to 22 μmol cm-3 day-1 have been measured in these wetland sediments, as well as methane fluxes up to 160 mg m-2 h-1-some of the highest emissions ever measured in North American wetlands. While pore waters from PPR wetlands are characterized by high concentrations of sulfur species and dissolved organic carbon, the constraints on microbial activity are poorly understood. Here, we utilized metagenomics to investigate candidate sulfate reducers and methanogens in this ecosystem and identify metabolic and viral controls on microbial activity. We recovered 162 dsrA and 206 dsrD sequences from 18 sediment metagenomes and reconstructed 24 candidate sulfate reducer genomes assigned to seven phyla. These genomes encoded the potential for utilizing a wide variety of electron donors, such as methanol and other alcohols, methylamines, and glycine betaine. We also identified 37 mcrA sequences spanning five orders and recovered two putative methanogen genomes representing the most abundant taxa-Methanosaeta and Methanoregulaceae. However, given the abundance of Methanofollis-affiliated mcrA sequences, the detection of F420-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases, and millimolar concentrations of ethanol and 2-propanol in sediment pore fluids, we hypothesize that these alcohols may drive a significant fraction of methanogenesis in this ecosystem. Finally, extensive viral novelty was detected, with approximately 80% of viral populations being unclassified at any known taxonomic levels and absent from publicly available databases. Many of these viral populations were predicted to target dominant sulfate reducers and methanogens. Our results indicate that diversity is likely key to extremely high rates of methanogenesis and sulfate reduction observed in these wetlands. The inferred genomic diversity and metabolic versatility could result from dynamic environmental conditions, viral infections, and niche differentiation in the heterogeneous sediment matrix. These processes likely play an important role in modulating carbon and sulfur cycling in this ecosystem.

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The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 31 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 124 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 124 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 34 27%
Researcher 15 12%
Student > Master 10 8%
Student > Doctoral Student 6 5%
Student > Bachelor 5 4%
Other 15 12%
Unknown 39 31%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 27 22%
Environmental Science 17 14%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 13 10%
Immunology and Microbiology 8 6%
Chemistry 5 4%
Other 10 8%
Unknown 44 35%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 16. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 10 August 2018.
All research outputs
#1,967,121
of 23,498,099 outputs
Outputs from Microbiome
#791
of 1,511 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#42,323
of 331,744 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Microbiome
#37
of 58 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,498,099 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 91st percentile: it's in the top 10% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,511 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 40.0. This one is in the 47th percentile – i.e., 47% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 331,744 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 87% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 58 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 37th percentile – i.e., 37% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.