Microbial Responses to Methane Enrichment in Deep-Sea Environments: Implications for Methane Sequestration and Climate Mitigation

Description/Abstract/Artist Statement

Methane, a greenhouse gas approximately 25 times the potency of carbon dioxide, emanates from methane clathrates along the East Coast of the United States in ocean depths between 400-600 meters. Methane-consuming bacteria in the ocean prevent methane from reaching the surface where it would contribute as a greenhouse gas although the details of microbial consumption of methane are not well understood. In this study, we examined the response to methane of a deep-sea microbial community collected from the mesopelagic zone (300 meters) at the continental shelf break. Samples were enriched with methane and microbial biomass was determined in a time series. The biomass of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes was measured using cell counts under the epifluorescence microscope and adenosine triphosphate as a proxy. Our results showed significant short-term (8 days) and long-term (several weeks) microbial biomass increases, with contributions from both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The increase of eukaryotic microbes likely results from their predation on methanotrophs rather than direct utilization of methane. Importantly, this process curbs methane emissions by removing methane in the water column, averting its release into the atmosphere. Thus, understanding and harnessing such mechanisms hold promise for mitigating methane's environmental impact.

Presenting Author Name/s

Jacob T. Airth

Faculty Advisor/Mentor

Alexander B. Bochdansky

Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department

Ocean and Earth Sciences

College Affiliation

College of Sciences

Presentation Type

Poster

Disciplines

Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology | Oceanography

Session Title

Poster Session

Location

Learning Commons Lobby @ Perry Library

Start Date

3-30-2024 8:30 AM

End Date

3-30-2024 10:00 AM

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Mar 30th, 8:30 AM Mar 30th, 10:00 AM

Microbial Responses to Methane Enrichment in Deep-Sea Environments: Implications for Methane Sequestration and Climate Mitigation

Learning Commons Lobby @ Perry Library

Methane, a greenhouse gas approximately 25 times the potency of carbon dioxide, emanates from methane clathrates along the East Coast of the United States in ocean depths between 400-600 meters. Methane-consuming bacteria in the ocean prevent methane from reaching the surface where it would contribute as a greenhouse gas although the details of microbial consumption of methane are not well understood. In this study, we examined the response to methane of a deep-sea microbial community collected from the mesopelagic zone (300 meters) at the continental shelf break. Samples were enriched with methane and microbial biomass was determined in a time series. The biomass of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes was measured using cell counts under the epifluorescence microscope and adenosine triphosphate as a proxy. Our results showed significant short-term (8 days) and long-term (several weeks) microbial biomass increases, with contributions from both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The increase of eukaryotic microbes likely results from their predation on methanotrophs rather than direct utilization of methane. Importantly, this process curbs methane emissions by removing methane in the water column, averting its release into the atmosphere. Thus, understanding and harnessing such mechanisms hold promise for mitigating methane's environmental impact.