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MICROBIAL ECOLOGY

Rarefied nutrition

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 19, page 138 (2021)Cite this article

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A Publisher Correction to this article was published on 25 January 2021

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The use of inorganic energy sources (such as trace gases) is thought to be rare in soil bacterial communities. Now, Bay et al. provide evidence that consumption of inorganic energy sources is much more prevalent than previously thought. Metagenome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that 72% of soil bacterial taxa across diverse phyla encode enzymes for using inorganic energy sources. In situ and ex situ measurements of trace gas fluxes in Australian soils from four sites confirmed that trace gas oxidizers are highly active, with greater use of hydrogen and carbon monoxide than of methane. Thermodynamic modelling indicated that trace gas oxidation could maintain oxidation-capable organotrophs, thereby providing a selective advantage when organic substrates are limiting.

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  1. Nature Reviews Microbiology http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/

    Grant Otto

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  1. Grant Otto
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Correspondence to Grant Otto.

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Otto, G. Rarefied nutrition. Nat Rev Microbiol 19, 138 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-021-00516-9

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