Abstract
Methane is an important product formed during the bacterial degradation of organic matter in environments such as flooded soils, wetlands, estuaries, marine and freshwater sediments, and the gastrointestinal tract of animals (Whitman et al., 1992). This chapter describes the conditions that lead to biogenic methane formation in natural environments, the metabolic pathways and interactions that lead to methanogenesis, and the implications of these factors on the biogeochemistry of methane.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Aeckersberg, F., F. Bak, F. Widdel. 1991. Anaerobic oxidation of saturated hydrocarbons to CO2 by a new type of sulfate-reducing bacterium. Arch. Microbiol., 156: 5–14.
Bak, F., K. Finster. 1992. Anaerobic formation and degradation of dimethyl sulfide and methane thiol by new types of acetogenic and methanogenic bacteria. In: Proceedings of the 10th Int. Symp. on Environ. Biogeochem(R.S. Oremland, ed. ), San Francisco. [in press]
Baresi, L. 1984. Methanogenic cleavage of acetate by lysates of Methanosarcina barkeri. J. Bacteriol, 160: 365–370.
Batik, S., W. J. Brulla, M. P. Bryant. 1985. PA-1, a versatile anaerobe obtained in pure culture, catabolizes benzenoids and other compounds in syntrophy with hydrogenotrophs, and P-2 plus Wolinella sp. degrades benzenoids. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 50: 304–310.
Barker, H. A. 1956. Bacterial fermentations, p. 1–27. Wiley, New York.
Blaut, M., V. Müller, G. Gottschalk. 1990. Energetics of methanogens. In: The Bacteria, Vol. 12(J.R. Sokatch and L. Nicholas Ornston, eds.), Academic Press, Inc., San Diego, 505–537.
Boone, D.R. 1982. Terminal reactions in the anaerobic digestion of animal waste. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 41: 57–61.
Boone, D.R., S. Worakit, I.M. Mathrani, R.A. Mah. 1986. Alkaliphilic methanogens from high-Ph lake sediments. J. Syst. Appl. Microbiol., 7:230–234
Boone, D.R., R.L. Johnson, Y. Liu. 1989. Diffusion of the interspecies electron carriers H2 and formate in methanogenic ecosystems, and its implication in the measurement of Km for H2 or formate uptake. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 55: 1735–1741.
Bryant, M.P. 1979. Microbial methane production: theoretical aspects. J. Anim. Sci., 48: 193–201.
Bryant, M.P., E.A. Wolin, M.J. Wolin, R.S. Wolfe. 1967. Methanobacillus omelianskii, a symbiotic association of two species of bacteria. Arch. Mikrobiol., 59: 20–31.
Buswell, A.M., W.D. Hatfield. 1939. Anaerobic fermentations. Illinois State Water Survey, Urbana, Ill.
Cheeseman, P., A. Toms-Wood, R.S. Wolfe. 1972. Isolation and properties of a fluorescent compound, Factor F420, from Methanobacteriumstrain M.o.H. J. Bacterol., 112: 527–531.
Cicerone, R.J., R.S. Oremland. 1988. Biogeochemical aspects of atmospheric methane. Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 2: 299–327.
Conrad, R., B. Wetter. 1990. Influence of temperature on the energetics of hydrogen metabolism in homoacetogenic, methanogenic, and other bacteria. Arch. Microbiol., 155: 94–98.
Conrad, R., B. Schink, T.J. Phelps. 1986. Thermodynamics of H2-producing and H2-consuming metabolic reactions in diverse methanogenic environments under in situ conditions. FEMS MicrobioL Ecol, 38: 353–360.
Conrad, R., F. Bak, H.F. Seitz, B. Thebrath, H.P. Mayer, H. Schultz. 1989. Hydrogen turnover by psychrotrophic homoacetogenic and mesophilic methanogenic bcteria in anoxic paddy soil and lake sediment. FEMS MicrobioL Ecol, 62: 285–294.
Craig, H. 1957. Isotopic standards for carbon and oxygen and correction factors for mass-spectroscopic analysis of carbon dioxide. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 12: 133–149.
Dacey, J.W.H., M.J. Klug. 1979. Methane efflux from lake sediments through water lilies. Science 203: 1253 - 1255.
Deppenmeier, U., M. Blaut, A. Jussofie, G. Gottschalk. 1988. A methyl-coM methylreductase system from methanogenic bacterium strain Gö1 not requiring ATP for activity. FEBS Lett., 241: 60–64.
DiMarco, A.A., T.A. Bobik, R.S. Wolfe. 1990. Unusual coenzymes of methanogenesis. Annu. Rev. Biochem., 59: 355–394.
Dwyer, D.F., E. Weeg-Aessens, D.R. Shelton, J.M. Tiedje. 1988. Bioenergetic conditions of butyrate metabolism by a syntrophic, anaerobic bacterium in coculture with hydrogen-oxidizing methanogenic and sulfidogenic bacteria. Appl Environ. Microbiol, 54: 1354–1359.
Ferry, J.G. (ed.) 1993. Methanogenesis. Chapman & Hall. [in preparation].
Gunsalus, R.P., R.S. Wolfe. 1978. ATP activation and properties of the methyl coenzyme M reductase system in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. J. Bacteriol, 135: 851–857.
Gunsalus, R.P., R.S. Wolfe. 1980. Methyl coenzyme M reductase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum: resolution and properties of the components. J. BioL Chem., 255: 1891–1895.
Hanson, R.S., A.I. Netrusov, K. Tsuji. 1992. The obligate methanotrophic bacteria: Methylococcus, Methylomonas, and Methylosinus. In: The Prokaryotes, A Handbook on the Biology of Bacteria: Ecophysiology, Isolation, Identification, Applications(A. Ballows, H.G. Trüper, M. Dworkin, W. Harder, and K.-H. Schleifer, eds.), second edition. Springer-Verlag, New York, p. 2350–2364.
Hoefs, J. 1987. Stable Isotope Geochemistry, 3rd edition, p. 22–24. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Houwen, F.P., C. Dijkema, C.C.H. Schoenmakers, A.J.M. Stams, A.J.B. Zehnder. 1987. 13C-NMR study of propionate degradation by a methanogenic coculture. FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 41:269–274.
Hungate, R.E. 1966. The Rumen and Its Microbes, p. 1–533. Academic Press, New York.
Jones, W.J., D.P. Nagel Jr., W.B. Whitman. 1987. Methanogens and the diversity of archaebacteria. Microbiol. Rev., 51: 135–177.
Kandler, O., and H. König. 1985. Cell envelopes of archaebacteria. In: The Bacteria: Vol. VIII, Archaebacteria( C.R. Woese and R.S. Wolfe, eds.), Academic Press, Orlando, Fla., p. 413–457.
Kiene, R.P. 1991. Production and consumption of methane in aquatic sediments. In: Microbial Production and Consumption of Greenhouse Gases: Methane, Nitrogen Oxides, and Halomethanes( J.E. Rogers and W.B. Whitman, eds.), American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C., p. 111–146.
Krumböck, M., R. Conrad. 1991. Metabolism of position-labelled glucose in anoxic methanogenic paddy soil and lake sediment. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., 85: 247–256.
Krzycki, J.A., J.G. Zeikus. 1984. Acetate catabolism by Methanosarcina barkeri: hydrogen-dependent methane production from acetate by a soluble cell protein fraction. FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 25: 27–32.
Langworthy, T.A. 1985. Lipids of archaebacteria. In: The Bacteria: Vol. VIII, Archaebacteria( C.R. Woese and R.S. Wolfe, eds.), Academic Press, Orlando, Fla., p. 413–457.
Leisinger, T., W. Brunner. 1986. Poorly degradable substances. In: Biotechnology: Microbial Degradations, Vol. 8 (W. Schönborn, ed.), VCH Verlagsgesellschaft, Weinheim, Germany, p. 475–513.
Lidstrom, M.E. 1992. The aerobic methylotrophic bacteria. In: The Prokaryotes, a Handbook on the Biology of Bacteria: Ecophysiology, Isolation, Identification, Applications(A. Ballows, H.G. Trüper, M. Dworkin, W. Harder, and K.-H. Schleifer, eds.), second edition. Springer-Verlag, New York, p. 432–445.
Liu, Y., D.R. Boone, C. Choy. 1990. Methanohalophilus oregonense sp. nov., a methylotrophic methanogen from an alkaline, saline aquifer. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 40: 111–116.
Ljungdahl, L.G. 1986. The autotrophic pathway of acetate synthesis in acetogenic bacteria. Ann. Rev. Microbiol., 40: 415–450.
Lovley, D.R., S. Goodwin. 1988. Hydrogen concentration as an indicator of the predominant terminal electron acceptor reactions in aquatic sediments. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 52: 2993–3003.
Mackie, R.I., M.P. Bryant. 1981. Metabolic activity of fatty acid-oxidizing bacteria and the contribution of acetate, propionate, butyrate, and CO2 to methanogenesis in cattle waste at 40 and 60°C. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 41:1363–1373.
Maestrojuân, G.M., D.R. Boone. 1991. Characterization of Methanosarcina barkeri strains MST and 227, Methanosarcina mazei S-6T, and Methanosarcina vacuolata Z-761T. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 41: 267–274.
Maestrojuân, G.M., D.R. Boone, L. Xun, R.A. Mah, L. Zhang. 1990. Transfer of Methanogenium bourgense, Methanogenium marisnigri, Methanogenium olentangyi, and Methanogenium thermophilicum to the genus Methanoculleus, gen. nov., emendation of Methanoculleus marisnigri and Methanogenium, and description of new strains of Methanoculleus bourgense and Methanoculleus marisnigri. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 40: 117–122.
Mah, R.A., M.R. Smith, L. Baresi. 1978. Studies on an acetate-fermenting strain of Methanosarcina. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 35: 1174–1184.
Mathrani, I.M., D.R. Boone, R.A. Mah, G.E. Fox, P.P. Lau. 1988. Methanohalobium zhilinae, gen. nov. sp. nov., an alkaliphilic, halophilic, methylotrophic methanogen. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 38: 139–142.
McCarty, P.L. 1964. The methane fermentation. In: Principles and Applications in Aquatic Microbiology(H. Heukelekian and N.C. Dondero, eds.), John Wiley & Sons, New York, p. 314–343.
McInerney, M.J. 1986. Transient and persistent associations among prokaryotes. In: Bacteria in Nature, Vol. 2 ( E.R. Leadbetter and J.S. Poindexter, eds.), Plenum Publishing Corp., New York, p. 293–338.
McInerney, M.J., M.P. Bryant, N. Pfennig. 1979. Anaerobic bacterium that degrades fatty acids in syntrophic association with methanogens. Arch. Microbiol., 122: 129–135.
McInerney, M.J., M.P. Bryant, R.B. Hespell, J.W. Costerton. 1981. Syntrophomonas wolfei gen. nov. sp. nov., an anaerobic, syntrophic, fatty acid-oxidizing bacterium. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 41: 1029–1039.
Miller, T.L. 1991. Biogenic sources of methane. In: Microbial Production and Consumption of Greenhouse Gases: Methane, Nitrogen Oxides, and Halomethanes(J.E. Rogers and W.B. Whitman, eds.), Amer. Soc. Microbiol., Washington, D.C., p. 175–187.
Nagle, D.P., Jr., R.S. Wolfe. 1983. Component A of the methyl coenzyme M methylreductase system of Methanobacterium: resolution into four components. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 80: 2151–2155.
Ni, S., D.R. Boone. 1991. Isolation and characterization of a dimethylsulfidedegrading methanogen from an oil well, characterization of Methanolobus siciliaeT4/MT, and emendation of M siciliae. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 41: 410–416.
Ni, S., D.R. Boone. 1993. Degradation of dimethyl sulfide and methane thiol by methanogenic bacteria. In: Proceedings of the 10th Int. Symp. on Environ. Biogeochem(R.S. Oremland, ed.), San Francisco. [in press]
Oremland, R.S., L.M. Marsh, S. Polcin. 1982. Methane production and simultaneous sulphate reduction in anoxic, salt marsh sediments. Nature (London), 296: 143–145.
Oremland, R.S., M.J. Whiticar, F.S. Strohmaier, R.P. Kiene. 1988. Bacterial ethane formation from reduced, ethylated sulfur compounds in anoxic sediments. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 51: 1895–1904.
Oremland, R.S., R.P. Kiene, I. Mathrani, M.J. Whiticar, D.R. Boone. 1989. Description of an estuarine methylotrophic methanogen which grows on dimethylsulfide. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 55: 994–1002.
Patel, G.B., G.D. Sprott, J.E. Fein. 1990. Isolation and characterization of Methanobacterium espanolae sp. nov., a mesophilic, moderately acidophilic methanogen. Int. J. Syst. Bacterol., 40: 12–18.
Poirot, C.M., S.W.M. Kengen, E. Valk, J.T. Keltjens, C. van der Drift, G.D. Vogels. 1987. Formation of methylcoenzyme M from formaldehyde by cell-free extracts of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum: evidence for involvement of a corrinoid-containing methyltransferase. FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 40: 7–13.
Reeburgh, W.S. 1976. Methane consumption in Cariaco Trench waters and sediments. Earth Planetary Sci. Lett., 28: 337–344.
Reeburgh, W.S., D.T. Heggie. 1977. Microbial methane consumption reactions and their effect on methane distributions in freshwater and marine environments. Limnol. Oceanogr., 22: 1–9.
Romesser, J.A., R.S. Wolfe, F. Mayer, E. Spiess, A. Walther-Mauruschat. 1979. Methanogenium, a genus of marine methanogenic bacteria, and characterization of Methanogenium cariaci sp. nov. and Methanogenium marisnigri sp. nov. Arch. Microbiol., 121: 147–153.
Striegl, R.G., A.L. Ishii. 1989. Diffusion and consumption of methane in an unsaturated zone in north-central Illinois, U.S.A. J. Hydrology, 111: 133–143.
Taylor, C.D., R.S. Wolfe. 1974. Structure and methylation of coenzyme M (HSCH2CH2SO3). J. Biol. Chem., 249: 4879–4885.
Thiele, J.H., J.G. Zeikus. 1988. Control of interspecies electron flow during anaerobic digestion: significance of formate transfer versus hydrogen transfer during syntrophic methanogenesis in flocs. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 54: 20–29.
Tyler, S.C. 1991. The global methane budget. In: Microbial Production and Consumption of Greenhouse Gases: Methane, Nitrogen Oxides, and Halomethanes( J.E. Rogers and W.B. Whitman, eds.), Amer. Soc. Microbiol., Washington, D.C., p. 7–38.
Van Beelen, P., J.F.A. Labro, J.T. Keltjens, W.J. Geerts, G.D. Vogels, W.H. Laarhoven, W. Guijt, C.A.G. Haasnoot. 1984. Derivatives of methanopterin, a coenzyme involved in methanogenesis. Eur. J. Biochem., 139: 359–365.
Vogels, G.D., J.T. Keltjens, van der Drift. 1988. Biochemistry of methane production. In: Biology of Anaerobic Microorganisms( A.J.B. Zehnder, ed.), John Wiley & Sons, New York, p. 707–770.
Walther, R., K. Fahlbusch, R. Sievert, G. Gottschalk. 1981. Formation of trideuteromethane from deuterated trimethylamine or methylamine by Methanosarcina barkeri. J. Bacteriol., 148: 371–373.
Whalen, S.C., W.S. Reeburgh. 1988. A methane flux time series for tundra environments. Global Geochem. Cycles, 2: 399–409.
Whalen, S.C., W.S. Reeburgh, K.A. Sandbeck. 1990. Rapid methane oxidation in a landfill cover soil. AppL Environ. Microbiol., 56: 3405–3411.
Whiticar, M.J., E. Faber, M. Schoell. 1986. Biogenic methane formation in marine and freshwater environments: CO2 reduction vs. acetate fermentation-isotope evidence. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 50: 693–709.
Whitman, W.B. 1985. Methanogenic bacteria. In: The Bacteria: Archaebacteria, Vol, 8(C.R. Woese and R.S. Wolfe, eds.), Academic Press, Inc., New York, p. 3–84.
Whitman, W.B., T.L. Bowen, D.R. Boone. 1992. The methanogenic bacteria. In: The Prokaryotes, a Handbook on the Biology of Bacteria: Ecophysiology, Isolation, Identification, Applications, second edition ( A. Ballows, H.G. Trüper, M. Dworkin, W. Harder, and K.-H. Schleifer, eds.), Springer-Verlag, New York, p. 719–767.
Winfrey, M.R., J.G. Zeikus. 1979. Anaerobic metabolism of immediate methane precursors in Lake Mendota. Appl. Environ. Microbiol, 37: 244–253.
Woese, C.R. 1987. Bacterial evolution. MicrobioL Rev., 51: 221–271.
Wolin, M.J. 1982. Hydrogen transfer in microbial communities. In: Microbial Interactions and Communities, Vol. 1( A.T. Bull and J.H. Slater, eds.), Academic Press, London, p. 323–356.
Worakit, S., D.R. Boone, R.A. Mah, M.-E. Abdel-Samie, M.M. El-Halwagi. 1985. Methanobacterium alcaliphilum sp. nov., an H2-utilizing methanogen which grows at high pH values. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 36: 380–382.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1993 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Boone, D.R. (1993). Biological Formation and Consumption of Methane. In: Khalil, M.A.K. (eds) Atmospheric Methane: Sources, Sinks, and Role in Global Change. NATO ASI Series, vol 13. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84605-2_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84605-2_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-84607-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-84605-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive