Abstract
The soil organisms that consume atmospheric CH 4 in upland ecosystems have not been identified. Whether these organisms benefit from oxidizing atmospheric CH 4 or whether CH 4 is cooxidized fortuitously is uncertain. We investigated the general nutritional physiology of atmospheric CH 4 oxidizers occurring in three forest soils by starving them of CH 4 for 1–2 months and monitoring their abilities to consume atmospheric CH 4 over time. In two Alaskan taiga forest soils, CH 4 starvation caused the atmospheric CH 4 oxidizers to lose their ability to consume CH 4, indicating that they benefitted from oxidizing atmospheric CH 4, possibly requiring it for maintenance and growth. In contrast, the organisms in a temperate hardwood forest soil from Massachusetts maintained their ability to consume atmospheric CH 4 despite prolonged CH 4 deprivation, suggesting that they either cooxidized CH 4 fortuitously, or that they used alternative substrates for maintenance and growth. These results may point to diverse nutritional physiologies among atmospheric CH 4 oxidizers.
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