Anaerobic oxidation of methane

Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is the microbial consumption of methane without oxygen, coupled to the reduction of compounds such as sulfate, nitrate, or metal oxides.

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Sulfate-dependent anaerobic oxidation of methane: AOM pathway in which methane oxidation is coupled to sulfate reduction. This widespread pathway relies on methane-oxidizing archaea partnered with sulfate-reducing bacteria.
Anaerobic oxidation of methane in marine sediments: Methane consumption by anaerobic microbes within ocean-floor sediments. This setting contains globally significant sulfate-dependent methane consumption.
Methane: The simplest alkane, with one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms. It is the reduced carbon compound that AOM converts to carbon dioxide or inorganic carbon.
Antje Boetius: A marine microbiologist known for research on deep-sea ecosystems and microbial methane cycling. Her work helped establish the structure and ecological significance of marine AOM consortia.
Reverse methanogenesis: The reversal of methane-producing reactions that oxidizes methane through methanogenesis-associated enzymes. Methane-oxidizing archaea use this reaction sequence to obtain electrons from methane.
Sulfate–methane transition zone: A sediment layer where downward-moving sulfate meets upward-diffusing methane. AOM is often concentrated where these two reactants overlap.
Sulfate reduction: The microbial reduction of sulfate to more reduced sulfur compounds, commonly sulfide. Sulfate commonly accepts the electrons released during methane oxidation.
ANME-1: A lineage of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea found in methane-rich environments. Its discovery helped identify archaea responsible for methane consumption in anoxic sediments.
Anaerobic methanotrophic archaea: Archaea that oxidize methane in oxygen-free environments using alternative electron acceptors. These organisms perform the methane-oxidizing half of many AOM partnerships.
Methane seep: A location where methane-rich fluids or gases escape from geological formations into the seafloor or water column. AOM can consume seep methane before it reaches the ocean or atmosphere.