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Biogeochemistry

Methane and microbes

Nature volume 440, pages 878–879 (2006)Cite this article

Microorganisms can carry out a wonderful range of chemical transformations. The anaerobic oxidation of methane seemed not to be among them. But it is — both with sulphate, and now it turns out, with nitrate.

Methane is not only a fossil fuel but also a key player in the carbon cycle. About 1% of the carbon dioxide annually fixed by photosynthesis is converted back to carbon dioxide by microorganisms via methane, which amounts to 1 billion tonnes of methane formed and consumed per year. Moreover, methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and its concentration in the atmosphere has increased continuously over the past hundred years.

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Figure 1: The anaerobic oxidation of methane (CH4).
Figure 2: Nitrate-dependent anaerobic oxidation of methane1 and related processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse, Marburg, D-35043, Germany

    Rudolf K. Thauer & Seigo Shima

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  1. Rudolf K. Thauer
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  2. Seigo Shima
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Thauer, R., Shima, S. Methane and microbes. Nature 440, 878–879 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/440878a

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