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Related Experiment Videos

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
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Geobiology·2014

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.
Keywords:
NASA Discipline ExobiologyNon-NASA Center

Related Experiment Videos

  • 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.