Aerophobota

Aerophobota
Scientific classification
(Candidatus)
Domain:
Bacteria
Phylum:
"Aerophobota"
corrig. Rinke et al., 2013
Class
  • "Aerophobia"
Synonyms
  • "Candidatus Aerophobetes"
  • candidate division CD12

Aerophobota is a candidate bacterial phylum within the domain Bacteria. This phylum is found mainly in deep-sea, hydrocarbon-rich sediments, especially those associated with methane hydrates. Aerophobota is notable for its likely involvement in organic carbon and methane cycling in anoxic, deep ocean sediment environments.

Taxonomy

The classification is based on genomic and metagenomic data without cultured isolates, and the name is not yet validly published under formal bacterial nomenclature.

Ecology and function

Aerophobetes are abundant in hydrate-containing, silty sediment layers beneath the ocean floor and thrive in anoxic (oxygen-free) conditions. Genetic analyses suggest they ferment organic matter, producing hydrogen and acetate, which can then be used by syntrophic methanogenic archaea to generate methane. These metabolic interactions indicate Aerophobota's likely contribution to methane formation and carbon cycling in deep-sea ecosystems.

Environmental and biotechnological importance

Research into Aerophobota and its functional roles is of interest because methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Understanding these microbes could inform strategies for mitigating methane emissions from seafloor hydrates.

References

  1. 1 2 Rinke, C; Schwientek, P; Sczyrba, A; Ivanova, NN; Anderson, IJ; Cheng, JF; Darling, AE; Malfatti, S; Swan, BK; Gies, EA; Dodsworth, JA; Hedlund, BP; Tsiamis, G; Sievert, SM; Liu, WT; Eisen, JA; Hallam, SJ; Kyrpides, NC; Stepanauskas, R; Rubin, EM; Hugenholtz, P; Woyke, T (2013). "Insights into the phylogeny and coding potential of microbial dark matter". Nature. 499 (7459): 431–437. Bibcode:2013Natur.499..431R. doi:10.1038/nature12352. hdl:1912/6194. PMID 23851394. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  2. ↑ Aerophobota in LPSN; Freese, H. M.; Meier-Kolthoff, J. P.; Sardà Carbasse, J.; Afolayan, A. O.; Göker, M. (2026). "TYGS and LPSN in 2025: a Global Core Biodata Resource for genome-based classification and nomenclature of prokaryotes within DSMZ Digital Diversity". Nucleic Acids Research. 54 (D1): D884–D891. doi:10.1093/nar/gkaf1110.
  3. ↑ Schoch CL; et al. "Aerophobota". National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) taxonomy database. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  4. ↑ Begmatov, Shahjahon; Savvichev, Alexander S.; Kadnikov, Vitaly V.; Beletsky, Alexey V.; Rusanov, Igor I.; Klyuvitkin, Alexey A.; Novichkova, Ekaterina A.; Mardanov, Andrey V.; Pimenov, Nikolai V.; Ravin, Nikolai V. (2021). "Microbial Communities Involved in Methane, Sulfur, and Nitrogen Cycling in the Sediments of the Barents Sea". Microorganisms. 9 (11): 2362. Bibcode:2021Miorg...9.2362B. doi:10.3390/microorganisms9112362. PMC 8625253. PMID 34835487.
  5. ↑ Wang, Yong; Gao, Zhao-Ming; Li, Jiang-Tao; Bougouffa, Salim; Tian, Renmao; Bajic, Vladimir B.; Qian, Pei-Yuan (2016). "Draft genome of an Aerophobetes bacterium reveals a facultative lifestyle in deep-sea anaerobic sediments". Science Bulletin. 61 (15): 1176–1186. Bibcode:2016SciBu..61.1176W. doi:10.1007/s11434-016-1135-6. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  6. ↑ Liu, Siwei; Yu, Shan; Lu, Xindi; Yang, Hailin; Li, Yuanyuan; Xu, Xuemin; Lu, Hailong; Fang, Yunxin (2022). "Microbial communities associated with thermogenic gas hydrate-bearing marine sediments in Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea". Frontiers in Microbiology. 13 1032851. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.1032851. PMC 9640435. PMID 36386663.
  7. ↑ Mara, Paraskevi; Geller-McGrath, David; Edgcomb, Virginia; Beaudoin, David; Morono, Yuki; Teske, Andreas P. (2023). "Metagenomic profiles of archaea and bacteria within thermal and geochemical gradients of the Guaymas Basin deep subsurface". Nature Communications. 14 (1) 7768: 7767. Bibcode:2023NatCo..14.7768M. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-43296-x. PMC 10689907. PMID 38012208. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  8. ↑ Conrad, Ralf (2009). "The global methane cycle: recent advances in understanding the microbial processes involved". Environmental Microbiology Reports. 1 (5): 285–292. Bibcode:2009EnvMR...1..285C. doi:10.1111/j.1758-2229.2009.00038.x. PMID 23765881. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  9. ↑ Boetius, Antje; Wenzhöfer, Frank (2013). "Seafloor oxygen consumption fuelled by methane from cold seeps". Nature Geoscience. 6 (9): 725–734. Bibcode:2013NatGe...6..725B. doi:10.1038/ngeo1926. Retrieved 12 November 2025.