title: Taxonomic composition and gene content of a methane-producing microbial community isolated from a biogas reactor.
abstract: A total community DNA sample from an agricultural biogas reactor continuously fed with maize silage, green rye, and small proportions of chicken manure has recently been sequenced using massively parallel pyrosequencing. In this study, the sample was computationally characterized without a prior assembly step, providing quantitative insights into the taxonomic composition and gene content of the underlying microbial community. Clostridiales from the phylum Firmicutes is the most prevalent phylogenetic order, Methanomicrobiales are dominant among methanogenic archaea. An analysis of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) revealed that the entire microbial community is only partially covered by the sequenced sample, despite that estimates suggest only a moderate overall diversity of the community. Furthermore, the results strongly indicate that archaea related to the genus Methanoculleus, using CO2 as electron acceptor and H2 as electron donor, are the main producers of methane in the analyzed biogas reactor sample. A phylogenetic analysis of glycosyl hydrolase protein families suggests that Clostridia play an important role in the digestion of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides. Finally, the results unveiled that most of the organisms constituting the sample are still unexplored.
authors.affiliation: Centrum für Biotechnologie (CeBiTec), Universität Bielefeld, D-33594 Bielefeld, Germany. Lutz.Krause@rdls.nestle.com
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.forename: Naryttza N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Gartemann
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Krömeke
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Neuweger
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pühler
authors.forename: Kai J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Runte
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schlüter
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stoye
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Szczepanowski
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tauch
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goesmann
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D020745:Genome, Archaeal / Q000235:genetics*; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D008697:Methane