Journal article

Publication year: 2012

Journal: Nature Communications

Volume number: 3

ISSN: 2041-1723

eISSN: 2041-1723

Open access status: Bronze

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2049

Publisher: Nature Research

Abstract: 
Methane in the biosphere is mainly produced by prokaryotic methanogenic archaea, biomass burning, coal and oil extraction, and to a lesser extent by eukaryotic plants. Here we demonstrate that saprotrophic fungi produce methane without the involvement of methanogenic archaea. Fluorescence in situ hybridization, confocal laser-scanning microscopy and quantitative real-time PCR confirm no contribution from microbial contamination or endosymbionts. Our results suggest a common methane formation pathway in fungal cells under aerobic conditions and thus identify fungi as another source of methane in the environment. Stable carbon isotope labelling experiments reveal methionine as a precursor of methane in fungi. These findings of an aerobic fungus-derived methane formation pathway open another avenue in methane research and will further assist with current efforts in the identification of the processes involved and their ecological implications.

Harvard Citation style: Lenhart, K., Bunge, M., Ratering, S., Neu, T., Schüttmann, I., Greule, M., et al. (2012) Evidence for methane production by saprotrophic fungi, Nature Communications, 3, Article 1046. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2049

APA Citation style: Lenhart, K., Bunge, M., Ratering, S., Neu, T., Schüttmann, I., Greule, M., Kammann, C., Schnell, S., Müller, C., Zorn, H., & Keppler, F. (2012). Evidence for methane production by saprotrophic fungi. Nature Communications. 3, Article 1046. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2049