METHANE OXIDATION POTENTIAL AND PRELIMINARY-ANALYSIS OF METHANOTROPHSIN BLANKET BOG PEAT USING MOLECULAR ECOLOGY TECHNIQUES

The potential for methane oxidation was measured, and methanotroph gen e sequences studied, in a peat core from the Moorhouse Nature Reserve, UK. Methane oxidation potential was observed in all depths of the pea t core (down to 30 cm), and was inhibited by addition of acetylene, in dicating the involvement of methane-oxidising bacteria. A peak of acti vity was shown in the 10-12 cm horizon, below which activity decreased with depth. Above this horizon, methane oxidation was relatively high and showed little change with depth. 16S rDNA libraries from several sections of the peat core were screened with methanotroph 16S rDNA pro bes designed to detect the genera Methylomonas, Methylococcus Methylob acter and Methylosinus. Two clones, MHP14 and MHP17, hybridised strong ly with the Methylosinus probe and upon complete sequencing and phylog enetic analysis were shown to group closely to the Methylosinus/Methyl ocystis genera of methanotrophs. However, the clones do form a distinc t branch of their own, supported by BOOTSTRAP values, and may represen t a novel group of acidophilic methanotrophs which have yet to be cult ured.