Abstract
At least four different species of mytilids which harbor abundant bacterial symbionts in their gills have been discovered in three general areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Two of the species harbor methanotrophic symbionts, one harbors both methanotrophic and chemoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing symbionts, and the fourth harbors only chemoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing symbionts. Mytilids with methanotrophic symbionts can reach very high densities and dominate the habitats in which they occur. Estimates of methane oxidation by the most shallow of these mytilid communities (500–700 m) are made based on mussel population size structures and densities, measurements of live animal methane oxidation rates and requirements for methane, in situ levels of dissolved methane, and the empirically determined relation between shell size and tissue biomass. This estimation indicates that oxidation rates between 22.4 and 42.4 g CH4 m-2 d-1 are occurring within beds of these mytilids.
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Fisher, C.R. (1993). Oxidation of Methane by Deep-Sea Mytilids in the Gulf of Mexico. In: Oremland, R.S. (eds) Biogeochemistry of Global Change. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2812-8_33
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2812-8_33
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