Depkat-Jakob, PS; Hunger, S; Schulz, K; Brown, GG; Tsai, SM; Drake, HL: Emission of Methane by Eudrilus eugeniae and Other Earthworms from Brazil, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 78, 3014-3019 (2012) | |
Abstract: Earthworms emit denitrification-derived nitrous oxide and fermentation-derived molecular hydrogen. The present study demonstrated that the earthworm Eudrilus eugeniae, obtained in Brazil, emitted methane. Other worms displayed less to no capacity to emit methane. Gene and transcript analyses of mcrA (encodes for the alpha-subunit of methyl-CoM reductase) in gut contents of E. eugeniae suggested that Methanosarcinaceae, Methanobacteriaceae, and Methanomicrobiaceae might be associated with this emission. |