The short- and long-term effects of environmental conditions on anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to nitrite reduction

Water Res. 2015 Jan 1:68:554-62. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2014.09.055.

Abstract

Anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to nitrite reduction (n-damo) plays an important role in global carbon and nitrogen cycles and also is a potential bioprocess in wastewater treatment. In this work, the effects of environmental conditions – temperature, pH and salinity – on the metabolic activity and growth rate of n-damo bacteria were investigated by short-term batch test and long-term bacterial incubation. Quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA and pmoA gene sequencing were applied to detect the microbial community in the long-term incubation. The results indicated that all the three environmental factors significantly affected the metabolic activity and growth rate of n-damo bacteria and the optimum temperature, pH and salinity were 35 °C, 7.6 and 0 g NaCl L⁻¹, respectively. Notably, salinity adaption of n-damo bacteria was first observed under salinity stress of 20 g NaCl L⁻¹. It's predicted that n-damo process might occur in saline environments and future work could focus on this.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological / drug effects
  • Anaerobiosis
  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacteria / genetics
  • Bacteria / metabolism*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Environmental Microbiology
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Methane / metabolism*
  • Nitrites / metabolism*
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Phylogeny
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Salinity
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Sodium Chloride / pharmacology
  • Stress, Physiological / drug effects
  • Temperature
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Nitrites
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • Sodium Chloride
  • Methane