Anaerobic oxidation of methane associated with sulfate reduction in a natural freshwater gas source

Timmers, Peer H. A.; Suárez-Zuluaga, Diego A.; Rossem, Minke van; Diender, Martijn; Stams, Alfons Johannes Maria; Plugge, Caroline M.

doi:10.1038/ismej.2015.213

Cited by 105 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Environmental studies also suggest that ANME-2D are involved in SO 4 2--dependent AOM (Timmers et al 2016(Timmers et al , 2017. However, our results showed that AOM organisms did not use inorganic EAs in the study sediments.…”

Section: Microbial Community Structurecontrasting

confidence: 55%

“…The independency of the potential CH 4 oxidation from the net potential CH 4 production in anaerobic conditions would suggest that CH 4 oxidation mainly took place through AOM at the profundal site. In contrast, the concurrent EA-induced decrease in the potentials of both CH 4 oxidation and net CH 4 production would suggest that CH 4 oxidation mainly took place through TMO at the littoral site (Table 2) (Moran et al 2005;Meulepas et al 2010;Timmers et al 2016). However, the results of the CH 2 F 2 experiments necessitate a more in-depth discussion of the contribution of the different processes to CH 4 oxidation.…”

Section: Microbial Community Structurementioning

confidence: 78%

“…CH 4 oxidation in anaerobic conditions can be mediated through AOM or TMO (Timmers et al 2016). The independency of the potential CH 4 oxidation from the net potential CH 4 production in anaerobic conditions would suggest that CH 4 oxidation mainly took place through AOM at the profundal site.…”

Section: Microbial Community Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…SO 4 2- (Timmers et al 2016), NO 3 -/NO 2 - (Deutzmann et al 2014;á Norði and Thamdrup 2014), Fe 3+ (Sivan et al 2011) and Mn 4+ (Segarra et al 2013), could be important in freshwater systems. Furthermore, some methanogens oxidize small amounts of CH 4 without external EAs during trace methane oxidation (TMO) due to enzymatic backflux (Moran et al 2005;Timmers et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of alternative electron acceptors on the activity and community structure of methane-producing and consuming microbes in the sediments of two shallow boreal lakes

Rissanen

Karvinen

Nykänen

et al. 2017

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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Section: Microbial Community Structurecontrasting

confidence: 55%

Section: Microbial Community Structurementioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Microbial Community Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Effects of alternative electron acceptors on the activity and community structure of methane-producing and consuming microbes in the sediments of two shallow boreal lakes

Rissanen

Karvinen

Nykänen

et al. 2017

FEMS Microbiology Ecology

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“…HS can theoretically promote AOM, as they can serve as terminal electron acceptors for microbial respiration (18,19) and have a higher redox potential than sulfate (20). However, compelling evidence demonstrating AOM driven by the microbial reduction of NOM present in anoxic environments remains elusive (21,22).…”

Section: Importancementioning

confidence: 99%

Anaerobic Methane Oxidation Driven by Microbial Reduction of Natural Organic Matter in a Tropical Wetland

Valenzuela

Prieto-Davó

López-Lozano

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

132

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Wetlands constitute the main natural source of methane on Earth due to their high content of natural organic matter (NOM), but key drivers, such as electron acceptors, supporting methanotrophic activities in these habitats are poorly understood. We performed anoxic incubations using freshly collected sediment, along with water samples harvested from a tropical wetland, amended with 13 C-methane (0.67 atm) to test the capacity of its microbial community to perform anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) linked to the reduction of the humic fraction of its NOM. Collected evidence demonstrates that electron-accepting functional groups (e.g., quinones) present in NOM fueled AOM by serving as a terminal electron acceptor. Indeed, while sulfate reduction was the predominant process, accounting for up to 42.5% of the AOM activities, the microbial reduction of NOM concomitantly occurred. Furthermore, enrichment of wetland sediment with external NOM provided a complementary electron-accepting capacity, of which reduction accounted for ϳ100 nmol 13 CH 4 oxidized · cm Ϫ3 · day Ϫ1 . Spectroscopic evidence showed that quinone moieties were heterogeneously distributed in the wetland sediment, and their reduction occurred during the course of AOM. Moreover, an enrichment derived from wetland sediments performing AOM linked to NOM reduction stoichiometrically oxidized methane coupled to the reduction of the humic analogue anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate. Microbial populations potentially involved in AOM coupled to microbial reduction of NOM were dominated by divergent biota from putative AOMassociated archaea. We estimate that this microbial process potentially contributes to the suppression of up to 114 teragrams (Tg) of CH 4 · year Ϫ1 in coastal wetlands and more than 1,300 Tg · year Ϫ1 , considering the global wetland area. IMPORTANCEThe identification of key processes governing methane emissions from natural systems is of major importance considering the global warming effects triggered by this greenhouse gas. Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to the microbial reduction of distinct electron acceptors plays a pivotal role in mitigating methane emissions from ecosystems. Given their high organic content, wetlands constitute the largest natural source of atmospheric methane. Nevertheless, processes controlling methane emissions in these environments are poorly understood. Here, we provide tracer analysis with 13 CH 4 and spectroscopic evidence revealing that AOM linked to the microbial reduction of redox functional groups in natural organic matter (NOM) prevails in a tropical wetland. We suggest that microbial reduction of NOM may largely contribute to the suppression of methane emissions from

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Harnessing a methane‐fueled, sediment‐free mixed microbial community for utilization of distributed sources of natural gas

Marlow¹,

Kumar²,

Enalls³

et al. 2018

Biotech & Bioengineering

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Harnessing the metabolic potential of uncultured microbial communities is a compelling opportunity for the biotechnology industry, an approach that would vastly expand the portfolio of usable feedstocks. Methane is particularly promising because it is abundant and energy‐rich, yet the most efficient methane‐activating metabolic pathways involve mixed communities of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea and sulfate reducing bacteria. These communities oxidize methane at high catabolic efficiency and produce chemically reduced by‐products at a comparable rate and in near‐stoichiometric proportion to methane consumption. These reduced compounds can be used for feedstock and downstream chemical production, and at the production rates observed in situ they are an appealing, cost‐effective prospect. Notably, the microbial constituents responsible for this bioconversion are most prominent in select deep‐sea sediments, and while they can be kept active at surface pressures, they have not yet been cultured in the lab. In an industrial capacity, deep‐sea sediments could be periodically recovered and replenished, but the associated technical challenges and substantial costs make this an untenable approach for full‐scale operations. In this study, we present a novel method for incorporating methanotrophic communities into bioindustrial processes through abstraction onto low mass, easily transportable carbon cloth artificial substrates. Using Gulf of Mexico methane seep sediment as inoculum, optimal physicochemical parameters were established for methane‐oxidizing, sulfide‐generating mesocosm incubations. Metabolic activity required >∼40% seawater salinity, peaking at 100% salinity and 35 °C. Microbial communities were successfully transferred to a carbon cloth substrate, and rates of methane‐dependent sulfide production increased more than threefold per unit volume. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that carbon cloth‐based communities were substantially streamlined and were dominated by Desulfotomaculum geothermicum. Fluorescence in situ hybridization microscopy with carbon cloth fibers revealed a novel spatial arrangement of anaerobic methanotrophs and sulfate reducing bacteria suggestive of an electronic coupling enabled by the artificial substrate. This system: 1) enables a more targeted manipulation of methane‐activating microbial communities using a low‐mass and sediment‐free substrate; 2) holds promise for the simultaneous consumption of a strong greenhouse gas and the generation of usable downstream products; and 3) furthers the broader adoption of uncultured, mixed microbial communities for biotechnological use.

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Anaerobic oxidation of methane associated with sulfate reduction in a natural freshwater gas source

Cited by 105 publications

References 77 publications

Effects of alternative electron acceptors on the activity and community structure of methane-producing and consuming microbes in the sediments of two shallow boreal lakes

Effects of alternative electron acceptors on the activity and community structure of methane-producing and consuming microbes in the sediments of two shallow boreal lakes

Anaerobic Methane Oxidation Driven by Microbial Reduction of Natural Organic Matter in a Tropical Wetland

Harnessing a methane‐fueled, sediment‐free mixed microbial community for utilization of distributed sources of natural gas

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