Novel microbial communities of the Haakon Mosby mud volcano and their role as a methane sink

Helge Niemann, Tina Lösekann, Dirk de Beer, Marcus Elvert, Thierry Nadalig, Katrin Knittel, Rudolf Amann, Eberhard J. Sauter, Michael Schlüter, Michael Klages, Jean Paul Foucher and Antje Boetius ()
Additional contact information
Helge Niemann: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Tina Lösekann: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Dirk de Beer: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Marcus Elvert: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Thierry Nadalig: Centre Ifremer de Brest
Katrin Knittel: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Rudolf Amann: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Eberhard J. Sauter: Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
Michael Schlüter: Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
Michael Klages: Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
Jean Paul Foucher: Centre Ifremer de Brest
Antje Boetius: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Nature, 2006, vol. 443, issue 7113, 854-858

Abstract: Methane in muddy waters Submarine mud volcanoes may be major players in the emission of the greenhouse gas methane. A select group of microorganisms, called methanotrophs, can consume this gas, but their impact on methane emission in this environment is not well understood. A study of the waters around a mud volcano in the Barents Sea has identified three key methanotrophic communities: aerobic bacteria, anaerobic archaea living beneath tubeworms, and previously undescribed archaea associated with bacterial mats. A natural cap on the capacity of the microbial methane filter was also discovered: the upward flow of sulphate- and oxygen-free volcanic fluids restricts the efficiency of methane oxidation, allowing much of the methane to escape to the hydrosphere and potentially the atmosphere.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1038/nature05227

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