Methanogenesis in the presence of oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria may contribute to global methane cycle

Jie Ye, Minghan Zhuang, Mingqiu Hong, Dong Zhang, Guoping Ren, Andong Hu, Chaohui Yang, Zhen He () and Shungui Zhou ()
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Jie Ye: College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Minghan Zhuang: College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Mingqiu Hong: College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Dong Zhang: College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Guoping Ren: College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Andong Hu: College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Chaohui Yang: College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Zhen He: Washington University in St. Louis
Shungui Zhou: College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Accumulating evidences are challenging the paradigm that methane in surface water primarily stems from the anaerobic transformation of organic matters. Yet, the contribution of oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria, a dominant species in surface water, to methane production remains unclear. Here we show methanogenesis triggered by the interaction between oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria and anaerobic methanogenic archaea. By introducing cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803 and methanogenic archaea Methanosarcina barkeri with the redox cycling of iron, CH4 production was induced in coculture biofilms through both syntrophic methanogenesis (under anoxic conditions in darkness) and abiotic methanogenesis (under oxic conditions in illumination) during the periodic dark-light cycles. We have further demonstrated CH4 production by other model oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria from various phyla, in conjunction with different anaerobic methanogenic archaea exhibiting diverse energy conservation modes, as well as various common Fe-species. These findings have revealed an unexpected link between oxygenic photosynthesis and methanogenesis and would advance our understanding of photosynthetic bacteria’s ecological role in the global CH4 cycle. Such light-driven methanogenesis may be widely present in nature.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50108-3

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