Editor's Summary

13 July 2006

A taste for acid

Microbiologists have succeeded in culturing the most acid-loving methanogen ever discovered. The new species, a member of the Methanomicrobiales group, was found in McLean Bog in New York State. It grows at a preferred pH of around 5, beating the previous record-holder, Methanobacterium espanolae, which has an optimum pH of between 5.5 and 6.0. Although some other methanogens can survive a pH as low as 4.5, the new species is the first to show growth and optimal methanogenesis in such acidic conditions. Microbes living in acidic soils are important sources of atmospheric methane, which is linked to global warming.

Letter: Isolation of a novel acidiphilic methanogen from an acidic peat bog

Suzanna L. Bräuer, Hinsby Cadillo-Quiroz, Erika Yashiro, Joseph B. Yavitt and Stephen H. Zinder

doi:10.1038/nature04810

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