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Updated: May 19, 2026

Visualizing Methane-Cycling Microbial Dynamics in Coastal Wetlands
Published on: January 31, 2025
Distribution of methanotrophs in the phyllosphere
Hiroyuki Iguchi1, Izuru Sato, Maiko Sakakibara
1Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.
Abstract:
Plants have been reported to emit methane as well as methanol originating in their cell-wall constituents. We investigated methanotrophs in the phyllosphere by the enrichment culture method with methane as sole carbon source. We enriched methanotrophs from the leaves, flowers, bark, and roots of various plants. Analysis of the pmoA and mxaF genes retrieved from the enrichment cultures revealed that methanotrophs closely related to the genera Methylomonas, Methylosinus, and Methylocystis inhabit not only the rhizosphere but also the phyllosphere, together with methanol-utilizing bacteria.
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