Denitrifying Anaerobic Methane Oxidation: A Previously Overlooked Methane Sink in Intertidal Zone

The intertidal zone is an open ecosystem rich in organic matter and plays an important role in global biogeochemical cycles. It was previously considered that methane was mainly removed by sulfate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (sulfate–AOM) process in marine ecosystems while other anaerobic methane oxidation processes were ignored. Recent researches have demonstrated that denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO), consisting of nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (nitrite–AOM) and nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (nitrate–AOM), can also oxidize methane. In this work, the community structure, quantity and potential methane oxidizing rate of DAMO archaea and bacteria in the intertidal zone were studied by high-throughput sequencing, qPCR and stable isotope tracing method. The results showed that nitrate–AOM and nitrite–AOM were both active in the intertidal zone and showed approximate methane oxidation rates. The copy number of 16S rRNA gene of DAMO archaea and DAMO bacteria were 104 ∼ 105 copies g–1 (dry sediment), whereas NC10 bacteria were slightly higher. The contribution rate of DAMO process to total anaerobic methane removal in the intertidal zone reached 65.6% ∼ 100%, which indicates that DAMO process is an important methane sink in intertidal ecosystem. Laboratory incubations also indicated that DAMO archaea were more sensitive to oxygen and preferred a more anoxic environment. These results help us draw a more complete picture of methane and nitrogen cycles in natural habitats.