New bacterial processes in the global carbon cycle and in the mitigation of methane emissions

This study aims at revealing the role of novel microaerobic and anaerobic methane oxidation processes by gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs in consuming greenhouse gas methane in lakes. The processes will be detected and measured by field observations as well as by experimental incubations of lake samples and isolated lake methanotrophs. The study uses 13C-isotopic techniques as well as modern molecular biological study methods. Finally, analysis of international nucleotide databases will be done to assess the global distribution of the genetic potential for the processes. The results of this study will have a significant impact on the scientific understanding of methane consumption in nature and can be used in predicting the effects of global change on methane oxidation capacity of ecosystems. New species of methanotrophs are also isolated in this study. The studied processes have also a high biotechnological potential in commercial utilization of biogas and natural gas.