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Updated: Feb 22, 2026

Visualizing Methane-Cycling Microbial Dynamics in Coastal Wetlands
Published on: January 31, 2025
Asynchronous alterations in bacterial composition and function increased functional redundancy related to greenhouse
Jichen Qiu1, Junhong Bai1, Di Wang1
1State Key Laboratory of Wetland Conservation and Restoration, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
Abstract:
To reinstate the pristine wetland functions, large-scale restoration projects of converting mariculture ponds to coastal wetlands (CMPCW) have been implemented along China's coastline. However, the effects of ecological restoration on greenhouse gas emission potential and the bacteria-driven mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed the dynamic changes in bacterial communities and functional genes related to greenhouse gas emissions in three typical habitats, including natural wetlands (NW), naturally restored wetlands (NRW), and coastal aquaculture ponds (CP). Our results showed that the contents of carbon (SOC and DOC) and nitrogen (TN and NH4+-N) were significantly higher in NRW sediments than in CP and NW sediments. For water samples, both TN and NH4+-N concentrations were higher in NRW than in NW, but remained lower than those in CP. Accordingly, elevated nutrient levels facilitated the recovery of bacterial composition and function. Overall, CMPCW increased both the taxonomic diversity and functional gene abundances in NRW compared to CP, but did not recover to their pristine (NW) levels. Community coalescence of planktonic and benthic bacteria was enhanced, accompanied by a reduction in the dominance of deterministic processes in shaping planktonic bacterial assembly. Notably, the stability of bacterial composition and function was decoupled, with compositional fluctuations more sensitive to CMPCW. Consequently, the functional redundancy of both planktonic and benthic bacteria increased in NRW compared to NW and CP, suggesting that functionally equal taxa dominated community recovery following CMPCW. These findings provide novel insights into the ecological benefits for the enhancement of carbon sequestration during coastal managements.
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