A novel group of abyssal methanogenic archaebacteria (Methanopyrus) growing at 110 °C

Abstract

THE organisms with the highest growth temperature known so far are members of the archaebacterial genus Pyrodictium^1'2. These anaerobic sulphur reducers thrive at temperatures of up to 110 °C within a shallow hydrothermal system off Vulcano, Italy. Only a few hyperthermophilic methanogens are known—members of the genus Methanothermus, which grow exclusively within terrestrial fields of fumaroles from which sulphurous gas is emitted and show an upper growth temperature of 97 °C (ref. 3), and some members of the genus Methanococcus, which grow within deep-sea hydro-thermal systems at temperatures up to about 90 °C (ref. 4). We have now isolated a novel group of methanogenic archaebacteria growing at least at 110°C from sediment samples taken by the research submersible Alvin at the Guaymas Basin hot vents (Gulf of California). This finding demonstrates the unexpected biogenic methanogenesis at temperatures above 100 °C, and, in view of biogeochemistry, could explain isotope discrimination at temperatures that were thought to be unfavourable for biological methanogenesis.