Harvard Forest Research Project 2023

Title: Establishing the contribution and controls on methylotrophic methane production in wetland soils
Principal investigator: Jerome Blewett (jeromeblewett@fas.harvard.edu)
Institution: Harvard University
Primary contact: Jerome Blewett (jeromeblewett@fas.harvard.edu)
Team members: Jerome Blewett
Abstract:
The project is focused around establishing the role of a particular class of methylated organic substrates in fuelling methane production in wetlands, both in the tropics and higher latitudes. Moreover, it aims to establish the main controls on the distribution of this (and other) methane producing Archaea in wetlands, including (but not limited to) temperature, pH, vegetation and hydrological properties. These aims will be approached using a combination of laboratory stable isotope probing experiments, enzyme assays, and various -omics techniques, pairing samples from New England with those collected in the tropics, allowing for a pan-latitudinal view of the methane cycle to be established. The results of this study will lead to a better understanding of the global methane cycle, as well as improving the accuracy of models simulating future responses of methane emissions to climate and environmental change.

You are here