Summary
Laboratory studies were conducted on a cultivated humisol containing populations of both methanotrophs and methanogens. The molar ratio CO2 produced : O2 consumed :CH4 consumed was 0.27:1.0:1.0. Methane oxidation showed typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics with apparent K m values for CH4 and O2 of 66.2 μM and 37.0 μM, respectively. The low CO2 yields and the effects of low dissolved oxygen indicated the presence of aerobic obligate methanotrophs. It is suggested that the methanotrophs in this soil are not entirely dependent on atmospheric CH4 for growth and survival in situ.
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Megraw, S.R., Knowles, R. Methane production and consumption in a cultivated humisol. Biol Fert Soils 5, 56–60 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00264347
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00264347