Archaea in Biogeochemical Cycles

2013/06/29 by Pierre Offre, Anja Spang, Christa Schleper · 541 citations
Chemistry · Engineering · Environmental Science · #Anaerobic oxidation of methane #Archaea #Bacteria #Biogeochemical cycle #Biology #Carbon cycle #Chemistry #Ecology #Ecosystem #Environmental biotechnology #Environmental chemistry #Environmental science #Euryarchaeota #Extremophile #Geomicrobiology #Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis #Methane #Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena #Methanogenesis #Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology #Microbial ecology #Microbial metabolism #Microorganism #Sulfur #Sulfur cycle #Thaumarchaeota

paper · doi:10.1146/annurev-micro-092412-155614

published in Annual Review of Microbiology 67(1), 437-457 (Annual Reviews)

openalex publication_date 2013/06/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

Archaea constitute a considerable fraction of the microbial biomass on Earth. Like Bacteria they have evolved a variety of energy metabolisms using organic and/or inorganic electron donors and acceptors, and many of them are able to fix carbon from inorganic sources. Archaea thus play crucial roles in the Earth's global geochemical cycles and influence greenhouse gas emissions. Methanogenesis and anaerobic methane oxidation are important steps in the carbon cycle; both are performed exclusively by anaerobic archaea. Oxidation of ammonia to nitrite is performed by Thaumarchaeota. They represent the only archaeal group that resides in large numbers in the global aerobic terrestrial and marine environments on Earth. Sulfur-dependent archaea are confined mostly to hot environments, but metal leaching by acidophiles and reduction of sulfate by anaerobic, nonthermophilic methane oxidizers have a potential impact on the environment. The metabolisms of a large number of archaea, in particular those dominating the subsurface, remain to be explored.

Citations

• Phylogenetic structure of the prokaryotic domain: The primary kingdoms
• How to Make a Living by Exhaling Methane

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