Background and Aims <p>Grasslands serve as one of the largest biological sinks for atmospheric methane and harbour diverse methanotrophic communities. In this study, the impacts of disturbances (e.g., grazing, surface runoff, trampling) and temporal variation on methanotroph (MOB) diversity and methane oxidation potential (MOP) were investigated in tropical Terai grassland soils.</p> Methods <p>MOB diversity and abundance were assessed using <i>pmo</i>A gene-based amplicon sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR), respectively. A laboratory incubation protocol was used to determine the MOP.</p> Results <p>qPCR analysis revealed that the abundance of total MOB populations ranged from 1.12 × 10⁷ to 2.42 × 10⁷ copies g^-1 soil in undisturbed soils, and from 5.32 × 10⁶ to 1.44 × 10⁷ copies g^-1 soil in disturbed soils. Correspondingly, MOP (ng CH₄ g^-1 soil h^-1) was significantly higher in undisturbed soils (13.48) compared to disturbed sites (9.74), with a marked seasonal pattern-highest in winter, followed by summer and rainy seasons. Amplicon sequencing identified both Type I and Type II methanotrophs across sites. Methylocystis (Type II) and Type Ib methanotrophs dominated the communities, with relative abundances of 42.02–66.72% and 49.25–67.32%, respectively, and were more prevalent in undisturbed grasslands. The composition of MOB communities was significantly influenced by edaphic variables, with soil temperature, organic carbon, and moisture showing the strongest correlations.</p> Conclusion <p>Overall, this study demonstrates that Terai grassland soils support a rich, functionally important methanotrophic&#xa0;community, closely linked to methane oxidation potential and the seasonal dynamics of the ecosystem. These&#xa0;findings contribute to the global understanding of soil methane sinks and support the development of methane&#xa0;mitigation strategies.</p>