Spatial and seasonal variation of methanogenic community in a river-bay system in South China

River-bay system is a transitional zone connecting land and ocean and an important natural source for methane emission. Methanogens play important roles in the global greenhouse gas budget and carbon cycle since they produce methane. The abundance and community assemblage of methanogens in such a dynamic system are not well understood. Here, we used quantitative PCR and high-throughput sequencing of the mcrA gene to investigate the abundance and community composition of methanogens in the Shenzhen River-Bay system, a typical subtropical river-bay system in Southern of China, during the wet and dry seasons. Results showed that mcrA gene abundance was significantly higher in the sediments of river than those of estuary, and was higher in wet season than dry season. Sequences of mcrA gene were mostly assigned to three orders, including Methanosarcinales, Methanomicrobiales, and Methanobacteriales. Specifically, Methanosarcina, Methanosaeta, and Methanobacterium were the most abundant and ubiquitous genera. Methanogenic communities generally clustered according to habitat (river vs. estuary), and salinity was the major factor driving the methanogenic community assemblage. Furthermore, the indicator groups for two habitats were identified. For example, Methanococcoides, Methanoculleus, and Methanogenium preferentially existed in estuarine sediments, whereas Methanomethylovorans, Methanolinea, Methanoregula, and Methanomassiliicoccales were more abundant in riverine sediments, indicating distinct ecological niches. Overall, these findings reveal the distribution patterns of methanogens and expand our understanding of methanogenic community assemblage in the river-bay system. Key Points • Abundance of methanogens was relatively higher in riverine sediments. • Methanogenic community in estuarine habitat separated from that in riverine habitat. • Salinity played a vital role in regulating methanogenic community assemblage.