Molecular analyses of novel methanotrophic communities in forest soil that oxidize atmospheric methane.

ABSTRACT: Forest and other upland soils are important sinks for atmospheric CH(4), consuming 20 to 60 Tg of CH(4) per year. Consumption of atmospheric CH(4) by soil is a microbiological process. However, little is known about the methanotrophic bacterial community in forest soils. We measured vertical profiles of atmospheric CH(4) oxidation rates in a German forest soil and characterized the methanotrophic populations by PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with primer sets targeting the pmoA gene, coding for the alpha subunit of the particulate methane monooxygenase, and the small-subunit rRNA gene (SSU rDNA) of all life. The forest soil was a sink for atmospheric CH(4) in situ and in vitro at all times. In winter, atmospheric CH(4) was oxidized in a well-defined subsurface soil l

SUBMITTER: Henckel T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC101415 | biostudies-literature | 2000 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature