Fig 1.

Abundance (A and B) and within-site community heterogeneity (C and D) of methanogens (mcrA) and methanotrophs (pmoA) in six peatlands in relation to CH₄ emission rate at the time of sampling. Black symbols represent natural sites, and gray symbols represent restored sites. Each data point represents the average of 7 or 8 field replicates ± standard error (SE). Microbial abundance was measured by quantitative PCR (gene copies cm⁻³ peat). Community heterogeneity was determined as multivariate dispersion based on T-RFLP or DGGE fingerprints. Note the logarithmic scale on the y axis in panels A, C, and D. The regression line is shown for data sets with significant relationships.