Abstract
The basis for the outcome of competition between sulfidogens and methanogens for H2 was examined by comparing the kinetic parameters of representatives of each group separately and in co-culture. Michaelis-Menten parameters (V max and K m) for four methanogens and five sulfate-reducing bacteria were determined from H2-depletion data. Further, Monod growth parameters (μmax, K s, Y H2) for Desulfovibrio sp. G11 and Methanospirillum hungatei JF-1 were similarly estimated. H2 K m values for the methanogenic bacteria ranged from 2.5 μM (Methanospirillum PM1) to 13 μM for Methanosarcina barkeri MS; Methanospirillum hungatei JF-1 and Methanobacterium PM2 had intermediate H2 K m estimates of 5 μM. Average H2 K m estimates for the five sulfidogens was 1.2 μM. No consistent difference among the V max estimates for the above sulfidogens (mean=100 nmol H2 min-1 mg-1 protein) and methanogens (mean=110 nmol H2 min-1 mg-1 protein) was found. A two-term Michaelis-Menten equation accurately predicted the apparent H2 K m values and the fate of H2 by resting co-cultures of sulfate-reducers and methanogens. Half-saturation coefficients (K s) for H2-limited growth of Desulfovibrio sp. G11 (2–4 μM) and Methanospirillum JF-1 (6–7 μM) were comparable to H2 K m estimates obtained for these organisms. Maximum specific growth rates for Desulfovibrio sp. G11 (0.05 h-1) were similar to those of Methanospirillum JF-1 (0.05–0.06 h-1); whereas G11 had an average yield coefficient 4 x that of JF-1. Calculated μmax and V max/K m values for the methanogens and sulfidogens studied predict that the latter bacterial group will process more H2 whether these organisms are in a growing or resting state, when the H2 concentration is in the first-order region.
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Robinson, J.A., Tiedje, J.M. Competition between sulfate-reducing and methanogenic bacteria for H2 under resting and growing conditions. Arch. Microbiol. 137, 26–32 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00425803
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00425803