Methanobacterium palustre

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A microscopic view of Methanobacterium palustre.

Another photograph displaying Methanobacterium palustre's cell shape.

Classification

Chart displaying M. palustre's phylogenic tree.

Domain: Archaea--- Kingdom: Euryarchaeota--- Phylum: Euryarchaeota--- Class: Methanobacteria--- Order: Methanobacteriales--- Family: Methanobacteriaceae--- Genus: Methanobacterium--- Species: Palustre

Species

NCBI: Taxonomy

Methanobacterium palustre

Description and Discovery

Above photographs a typical peat bog environment where M. palustre inhabits.

Methanobacterium palustre was discovered in 1989 in a location in Germany known as the Sippenauer Moor. The environmental habitat dominating in this area is known as a peat bog. Others often refer to it as a marshland. Due to its ability to anaerobically produce methane through a process known as methanogenesis, researchers thus named it's genus "Methanobacterium". Ironically the term used for the species identification, "palustre", is French for the word: marshland. Therefore you could describe the microorganism as an Archaea that thrives in a marshland habitat via producing methane metabolically. (Zellner, G., et al.)

Cell Morphology

Methanobacterium palustre has a thin, rod-like shape and has been characterized as Strain F. This bacillus microorganism has an average cell length of anywhere between 2.5µm – 5µm. The cell body occasionally has filamentous appendages protruding outwards. These are used mostly as a means for cellular reproduction. In comparison, the appendages are over 10x the length of the actual cell body measuring to about 65µm. A Gram stain revealed that it is in fact Gram Positive meaning that it lacks a peptidoglycan layer outside of its cytoplasmic membrane. After viewing this microorganism using the wet mount technique, motility was not observed. Therefore, M. palustre must rely on water currents to move about its anoxic environment. (Zellner, G., et al.)

Ideal Living Requirements and Metabolism

Diagram portraying the Carbon Cycle and Methanogenesis.

Methanobacterium palustre is a mesophilc organism, best suited for temperatures between 33 degrees and 37 degrees Celsius. The minimum and maximum growth temperatures are between 20 degrees and 45 degrees, respectively. Optimal pH for growth is approximately 7 and a pH value as low as 6 is known to be tolerable. The microbe is sensitive to salinity. Growth is impeded at 18 g/L NaCl and growth completely halts at 30 g/L NaCl.

Significance in Today's World

Current research studies of electrically probing M. palustre to achieve renewable "Green Methane".

References

Zellner, G., et al. Chracterization of a New Mesophilic, Secondary alcohol-utilizing methanogen, Methanobacterium palustre Spec. Nov. from a Peat Bog. Archives of Microbiology, Springer-Verlag: 151-160.

Zellner, G., et al. Methanobacterium palustre picture 1. 1989. pdf.

Zellner, G., et al. Methanobacterium palustre picture 2. 1989. pdf.

Author

Page authored by Brian Underwood and Joe Wernet, students of Professors: Ned Walker and Kaz Kashefi at Michigan State University.