Abstract

The North Temperate Lakes - Microbial Observatory seeks to study freshwater microbes over long time scales (10+ years). Observing microbial communities over multiple years using DNA sequencing allows in-depth assessment of diversity, variability, gene content, and seasonal/annual drivers of community composition. Combining information obtained from DNA sequencing with additional experiments, such as investigating the biochemical properties of specific compounds, gene expression, or nutrient concentrations, provides insight into the functions of microbial taxa. Our 16S rRNA gene amplicon datasets were collected from bog lakes in Vilas County, WI, and from Lake Mendota in Madison, WI. Ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing of freshwater environmental DNA was performed on samples from Crystal Bog, North Sparkling Bog, West Sparkling Bog, Trout Bog, South Sparkling Bog, Hell’s Kitchen, and Mary Lake. These microbial time series are valuable both for microbial ecologists seeking to understand the properties of microbial communities and for ecologists seeking to better understand how microbes contribute to ecosystem functioning in freshwater.

Abstract

This dataset, referred to as MethDB, is a collation of publicly available values of methane (CH4) concentrations and atmospheric fluxes for world streams and rivers, along with supporting information on location, geographic, physical, and chemical conditions of the study sites. The data set is composed of four linked tables, corresponding to the data sources (Papers_MethDB), the study sites (Sites_MethDB), concentrations (Concentrations_MethDB), and influx/efflux rates (Fluxes_MethDB). Information was extracted from journal articles, government reports, book chapters, and similar sources that were acquired before 15 September 2015. Concentrations and fluxes were converted to a standard unit (micromoles per liter for concentration and millimoles per square meter per day for flux) and both the author-reported and converted data are included in the database. MethDB was assembled as part of a larger synthesis effort on stream and river CH4 dynamics, and assembled data were used to identify large-scale patterns and potential drivers of fluvial CH4 and to generate an updated global-scale estimate of CH4 emissions from world rivers.