Response of methanotrophic activity and community structure to plant invasion in China’s coastal wetlands

Coastal wetlands are critical in the global carbon budget while vulnerable to plant invasion. Spartina alterniflora (S. alterniflora), a typical invasive plant species, has rapidly expanded in China’s coastal area since 1979, which disturbed the carbon cycle of the coastal wetland ecosystems. However, until now, the effect and underlying mechanisms of S. alterniflora invasion on methanotrophs are poorly known in coastal wetlands. Here, a large-scale investigation of the activity, abundance and community structure of methanotrophs was conducted in seven wetlands under both native (dominated by Phragmites australis, Kandelia candel or Avicennia marina) and invasive plants (dominated by S. alterniflora) across the southeast coast of China. Compared with the native community, S. alterniflora invasion led to a significant (p