Bacteria: discovered species that feed on both sulfur and methane

Wetlands are the natural source of methaneimportant greenhouse gases. In these humid areas there are cycles of sulfur and methane. An important sulfur cycle is called methanogenesis. In practice, sulfur counteracts the production of methane. So far, scientists have only discovered bacteria that ate either only methane or only sulfur. Until now no one had been discovered bacteria that consumed both fabrics. The new bacteria can also ingest them at the same time.

These results suggest that myxotrophic bacteria that oxidize methane/sulfur are a previously neglected component of the methane and sulfur cycles in the environment.

study authors

The strain of the discovered bacteria is called Methylovirdula thiovoransHY1. It grows thanks to methane, organic acids and short-chain alkanes and also thanks to the inorganic compounds of sulfur. In practice, the discovery of this bacterial strain lays the foundation for a better understanding of the sulfur and methane cycles. This is in natural and man-made wetlands.

The wet areas they are important and can represent important environments for tackling climate change. Many of the wetlands, even as early as the eighteenth century, had been lost by 2000 due to their conversion to urbanized, agricultural or other productive uses. Their extinction three times faster than that of forests poses an existential threat to plant and animal species.