title: Members of the methanotrophic genus Methylomarinum inhabit inland mud pots.
abstract: Proteobacteria capable of converting the greenhouse gas methane to biomass, energy, and carbon dioxide represent a small but important sink in global methane inventories. Currently, 23 genera of methane oxidizing (methanotrophic) proteobacteria have been described, although many are represented by only a single validly described species. Here we describe a new methanotrophic isolate that shares phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic relatedness with the marine methanotroph Methylomarinum vadi. However, the new isolate derives from a terrestrial saline mud pot at the northern terminus of the Eastern Pacific Rise (EPR). This new cultivar expands our knowledge of the ecology of Methylomarinum, ultimately towards a fuller understanding of the role of this genus in global methane cycling.
authors.affiliation: Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy , La Canada Flintridge, CA , United States.
authors.forename: Danielle T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Fradet
authors.affiliation: Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA , United States.
authors.forename: Patricia L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Tavormina
authors.affiliation: Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology , Pasadena, CA , United States.
authors.forename: Victoria J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Orphan
keywords: Bacterial methane oxidizers; Davis-Schrimpf seep field; Eastern Pacific Rise; Methanotroph; Microbial ecology; pmoA