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Medium Preparation for the Cultivation of Microorganisms under Strictly Anaerobic/Anoxic Conditions
Published on: August 15, 2019
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Metal Oxide Reduction Linked to Anaerobic Methane Oxidation
Oluwatobi E Oni1, Michael W Friedrich1
1Microbial Ecophysiology group, Faculty of Biology/Chemistry and MARUM, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
Trends in Microbiology
|December 18, 2016
Summary
Novel freshwater archaea can oxidize methane using iron and manganese minerals. This discovery offers new insights into microbial methanotrophy and methane emission mitigation in aquatic ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Environmental microbiology
- Biogeochemistry
- Archaea
Background:
- Microbial methanotrophy plays a crucial role in reducing atmospheric methane.
- Geochemical data indicate anaerobic methane oxidation occurs with metal oxides in nature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify novel microorganisms capable of anaerobic methane oxidation.
- To investigate the use of metal oxides as electron acceptors in this process.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and characterization of freshwater archaea.
- Incubation experiments with Fe(III) and Mn(IV) minerals.
Main Results:
- First identification of freshwater archaea from the order Methanosarcinales performing anaerobic methane oxidation.
- Demonstrated oxidation of methane using Fe(III) and Mn(IV) minerals as electron acceptors.
Conclusions:
- These findings expand our understanding of methane cycling in freshwater environments.
- The identified archaea represent a significant contribution to mitigating methane emissions.
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