Hobart

Seminar Abstract

Friday 30 October 2009, 11.30am (Tas time)
CSIRO Auditorium, Hobart

Levente Bodrossy
Austrian Institute of Technology
Seibersdorf, Austria

Understanding methanotrophs - The ecology of microbial methane oxidation

Methanotrophs are bacteria capable of utilising methane as their sole source of carbon and energy. Methane is the second most important antropogenic greenhouse gas, responsible for about 30% of the total anthropogenic greenhouse effect. By both oxidizing and incorporating methane into cell biomass, methanotrophs play a vital role in reducing atmospheric methane concentrations, thus mitigating the greenhouse effect.

Methanotrophy is limited to a few relatively narrow phylogenetic clades within the bacteria. Due to their well defined phylogeny and environmental function, methanotrophs are an ideal model group for functional microbial ecology.

The METHECO project (www.metheco.org), involving ten laboratories in Europe, is investigating the ecology of methanotrophs in a range of habitats. Using methanotrophs as a model group, the project focuses on fundamental questions of microbial ecology, including the relationship between microbial diversity and function; their spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability; and the resilience of diversity and function to environmental perturbations.

The talk will discuss recent advances in our understanding of methanotroph ecology, mainly focusing on the achievements of the METHECO project but also touching upon other important findings.

Seminar recording: not available

[back]

Location:
CSIRO = Marine Laboratories Auditorium, Castray Esplanade, Hobart

For further information, or to schedule a seminar, contact:
To schedule a seminar, contact:
Clothilde Langlais, (Oceanographic seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5399
Natalie Kelly, (Biology/Modelling seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research 0438 452 483
Jillian Enraght-Moony, (seminar administrator) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5320
Communications Manager, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC (03) 6226 2265
Margaret Hazelwood, Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies (IASOS) University of Tasmania (03) 6226 2971

Last updated 6/11/09