''Methanothermus sociabilis'' is a species of
methanogen
Methanogens are microorganisms that produce methane as a metabolic byproduct in hypoxic conditions. They are prokaryotic and belong to the domain Archaea. All known methanogens are members of the archaeal phylum Euryarchaeota. Methanogens ar ...
. It grows in large clusters 1 to 3 mm in diameter and in temperatures of up to .
It is found solely in the solfataric fields in
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
. The cells are
bar-shaped and grow strictly through the reduction of
carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...
with
hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic ...
, producing
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Ear ...
.
References
Further reading
*
*Vân Trâǹ, J. Thanh, ed. Frontiers of Life. Vol. 3. Atlantica Séguier Frontières, 1992.
*
External links
*
LPSNType strain of ''Methanothermus sociabilis'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Euryarchaeota
{{Euryarchaeota-stub