methanogen

[me-than-uh-juhn, -jen]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Microbiology.

any of a diverse group of widely distributed archaea that occur in anaerobic environments, as the intestinal tracts of animals, freshwater and marine sediments, and sewage, and are capable of producing methane from a limited number of substrates, including carbon dioxide and hydrogen, acetate, and methylamines: an important source of natural gas.

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Other Word Forms

methanogenic adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of methanogen¹

First recorded in 1975–80; methan(e) ( def. ) + -o- + -gen

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"Before us, no one ever tried to study an enzyme from such a methanogen for an electrode-based gas conversion," says Tristan Wagner.

From

Still, much of Earth's methane is produced in methanogenesis, the biological process by which methanogen bacteria consume carbon dioxide and belch methane.

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Instead, the methanogen has found a way to create methane in this low energy environment, which it may not use to reproduce or divide, but to replace or repair broken parts.

From

The carbon-containing gas is significant because most methane on Earth is produced by methanogen microbes, which are common in oxygen-poor environments.

From

methane series methanoic acid

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