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ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY

Hazardous gases sustain microbes underfoot

Nature Microbiology volume 6, pages 145–146 (2021)Cite this article

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Most soil microorganisms can use the trace gases carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane — and potentially other inorganic compounds — to supplement their cellular energetic needs.

Soil microbiomes are the most diverse biological assemblages on Earth. These tiny lives mediate processes critical to humanity, including the regulation of global climate and the maintenance of soil and plant health. Although soils are among the longest-studied microbial habitats, most soil microbial diversity remains undescribed because of the challenges associated with isolating soil microorganisms in the laboratory1. Only recently has it been possible to quantify the magnitude of the metabolic versatility found in soil microbiomes due to improvements in DNA sequencing and computational technology2. In this issue of Nature Microbiology, Bay et al. show that soils contain abundant microorganisms that have the unexpected ability to derive energy from gases that are hazardous to humans3.

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Fig. 1: Trace gas utilization may impact soil CUE estimates for soil microorganisms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Paul Carini

  2. BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Paul Carini

  3. School of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Paul Carini

  4. School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Paul Carini

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  1. Paul Carini
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Correspondence to Paul Carini.

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Carini, P. Hazardous gases sustain microbes underfoot. Nat Microbiol 6, 145–146 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-020-00855-y

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