Community Structure and Soil pH Determine Chemoautotrophic Carbon Dioxide Fixation in Drained Paddy Soils

Previous studies suggested that microbial photosynthesis plays a potential role in paddy fields, but little is known about chemoautotrophic carbon fixers in drained paddy soils. We conducted a microcosm study using soil samples from five paddy fields to determine the environmental factors and quantify key functional microbial taxa involved in chemoautotrophic carbon fixation. We used stable isotope probing in combination with phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and molecular approaches. The amount of microbial 13CO2 fixation was determined by quantification of 13C-enriched fatty acid methyl esters and ranged from 21.28 to 72.48 ng of 13C (g of dry soil)−1, and the corresponding ratio (labeled PLFA-C:total PLFA-C) ranged from 0.06 to 0.49%. The amount of incorporationof 13CO2 into PLFAs significantly increased with soil pH except at pH 7.8. PLFA and high-throughput sequencing results indicated a dominant role of Gram-negative bacteria or proteobacteria in 13CO2 fixation. Correlation analysis indicated a significant association between microbial community structure and carbon fixation. We provide direct evidence of chemoautotrophic C fixation in soils with statistical evidence of microbial community structure regulation of inorganic carbon fixation in the paddy soil ecosystem.