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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Jonesboro, Arkansas » Delta Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #412017
Research Project: Optimizing the Management of Irrigated Cropping Systems in the Lower Mississippi River Basin

Location: Delta Water Management Research

Title: The role of microbes in mediating methane emissions

Author
item DAVIDSON, ERIC - University Of Maryland
item SEMRAU, JEREMY - University Of Michigan
item NGUYEN, NGUYEN - American Society For Microbiology
item BOYLE, PATRICK - Ginkgo Bioworks
item BRUNS, MARY ANN - Pennsylvania State University
item TIEDJE, JIM - Michigan State University
item ZHENG, JIANQIU - American Society For Microbiology
item Adviento-Borbe, Arlene
item CADILLO-QUIROZ, HINSBY - Arizona State University
item CARDO, ZOE - Marine Biology Laboratory

Submitted to: American Society for Microbiology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/15/2023
Publication Date: 11/15/2023
Citation: The Role of Microbes in Mediating Methane Emissions: Report on an American Academy of Microbiology Colloquium held on May 31 and June 1, 2023. Washington (D.C.): American Society for Microbiology; 2023

Interpretive Summary: Methane is a key driver of climate change and understanding how microbes produce and consume methane is crucial to mitigating methane emissions. The report discusses the solutions that leverage microbes to address methane emissions, which contribute to climate crisis. Enteric fermentation in ruminants, landfills, rice cultivation and animal wastes are four main sectors where microbial actions can be harnessed to mitigate CH4 emissions through better understanding of how microbiome communities interact with the sources that enable the next generation of microbe-based mitigation opportunities. Slowing the increased rice of CH4 in the atmosphere today will have a strong effect on global air temperate. This report is vital for addressing the negative impacts of climate crisis on crop production, weather, and public health that are crucial for farmers, government, and general public.

Technical Abstract: Increased greenhouse gases leading to climate change are recognized as the main driver of record-breaking global heatwaves, which threaten human health and well-being. Microorganisms are important producers and consumers of major greenhouse gases, including methane (CH4). CH4 is ~80 times as potent as CO2 on a mass basis at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year period, significantly contributing to a warming planet. As the most abundant organisms on Earth, microbes can make enormous contributions to the planet’s climate by mitigating CH4 emissions.This report is based on the deliberations of experts who participated in a colloquium on 31 May and 1 June 2023, organized by the American Academy of Microbiology, the honorific leadership group and think tank within the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), and the American Geophysical Union (AGU). These experts came from diverse disciplines and sectors to articulate opportunities to use microbes to mitigate CH4 emissions from four main sources: enteric fermentation in ruminants, animal wastes, rice paddies, and landfills. The participants highlighted knowledge gaps and potential strategies that harness microbial processes to mediate global warming and address climate change. The report states the recommendations of the colloquium participants for the scientific community as the next step to further our understanding of these topics.