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Unusual methanogenic flora of a wood‐fermenting anaerobic bioreactor
Author(s) -
Macario A.J.L.,
Peck M.W.,
Macario Everly Conway,
Chynoweth D.P.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of applied bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 0021-8847
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1991.tb04659.x
Subject(s) - methanogen , bioreactor , fermentation , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , mesophile , flora (microbiology) , bacteria , sorghum , food science , botany , ecology , genetics
Antibody probes and immunotechnology were used in qualitative and quantitative studies of the methanogenic flora of two mesophilic continuously stirred tank reactors in which wood or sorghum served as substrates. This represents the first immunological study of a wood‐fermenting bioreactor. An overwhelmingly predominant methanogenic subpopulation was observed which, after 2.5 years of operation represented nearly 90% of all methanogens detectable immunologically, reaching 97% 1 year later. This subpopulation was weakly related antigenically to Methanomicrobium mobile BP and morphologically was indistinguishable from it. Such predominance of a single methanogen subpopulation and its relatedness to M. mobile BP has not been observed previously in bioreactors, and may be a distinctive trait of wood‐fermenting bioreactors. The majority of other methanogens detected immunologically were not of the same immunotype as reference strains, suggesting that important methanogens remain to be isolated from these systems.