Community Composition and Density of Methanogens in the Foregut of the Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii)

• Published in: Applied and Environmental Microbiology Vol. 75; no. 8; pp. 2598 - 2602
• Main Authors: Evans, Paul N, Hinds, Lyn A, Sly, Lindsay I, McSweeney, Christopher S, Morrison, Mark, Wright, André-Denis G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01.04.2009; American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
• Subjects: Animals; Archaea - classification; Archaea - genetics; Archaea - isolation & purification; Archaea - metabolism; Archaeal Proteins - genetics; Biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; Cells; Cloning; Cluster Analysis; Coenzymes; DNA, Archaeal - chemistry; DNA, Archaeal - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal - chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastrointestinal Tract - microbiology; Genes; Genes, rRNA; Macropodidae - microbiology; Macropus eugenii; Marsupials; Methane - metabolism; Microbial Ecology; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Molecular Sequence Data; Oxidoreductases - genetics; Phylogeny; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA, Archaeal - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Macropus eugenii; Density; Methanogenic bacteria; Marsupialia
• ISSN: 0099-2240; 1098-5336; 1098-6596
• DOI: 10.1128/aem.02436-08

The composition of the methanogenic archaeal community in the foregut contents of Tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii) was studied using 16S rRNA and methyl coenzyme reductase subunit A (mcrA) gene clone libraries. Methanogens belonging to the Methanobacteriales and a well-supported cluster of uncultivated archaeon sequences previously observed in the ovine and bovine rumens were found. Methanogen densities ranged from 7.0 x 10⁵ and 3.9 x 10⁶ cells per gram of wet weight.