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Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor
Published on: October 15, 2015
Methane-consuming archaebacteria in marine sediments
K U Hinrichs1, J M Hayes, S P Sylva
1Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts 02543, USA.
Nature
|May 11, 1999
Summary
Marine sediments consume methane anaerobically via archaea distinct from known methanogens. This discovery reveals novel microbial pathways for methane cycling in seafloor environments.
Area of Science:
- Marine microbiology
- Geochemistry
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Methane is abundant in marine sediments but is consumed before reaching oxygenated waters.
- Anaerobic methane oxidation is crucial for regulating atmospheric methane but the responsible organisms remain largely uncharacterized.
- Biogeochemical data suggest a multi-organism process involving methanogens and sulfate-reducers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the microbial communities responsible for anaerobic methane consumption in marine sediments.
- To identify novel microorganisms involved in methane cycling.
- To provide direct evidence for the biological source of specific lipid biomarkers.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of lipid biomarkers in sediments associated with a decomposing methane hydrate.
- Stable isotope analysis (carbon-13 depletion) to trace methane as a carbon source.
- Gene surveys using small-subunit ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) to identify microbial populations.
Main Results:
- Lipid biomarkers strongly depleted in carbon-13 indicate methane as the primary carbon source for archaea.
- These archaea are phylogenetically distinct from previously known methanogens.
- 16S rRNA gene surveys revealed a dominant, novel archaeal group related to methanogenic orders.
Conclusions:
- Evidence suggests a new group of archaea, unrelated to known methanogens, are responsible for anaerobic methane consumption.
- This finding expands our understanding of methane cycling in marine environments.
- The study identifies novel archaeal lineages involved in the anaerobic oxidation of methane.
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