Bacterial Microbiology

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Symbioses between marine invertebrates and methanotrophs provide the bacteria with access to methane and oxygen and other substrates necessary for metabolism and the invertebrate host with a source of organic carbon. Methanotrophic bacteria utilize methane for generating ATP through oxidative environments, through either biological (the action of methanogenic Archaea) or inorganic processes, free-living aerobic methanotrophs are limited to the
microaerophilic interface between oxic and anoxic zones (Anthony 1982). But in methanotrophic symbioses the invertebrate host acts as a “bridge” across the oxic-anoxic interface (as in chemoautotroph symbioses, facilitating access to both oxygen and methane for the endosymbionts (Cavanaugh 1985; Cavanaugh et al. 2005). The methanotrophs
in turn consume methane and provide the host with a sustainable carbon source not directly available to metazoans. The host derives other essential elements (e.g., N, P, S) from the symbiont and/or environmental sources.

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