Latest Publications
Microbial drivers of DMSO reduction and DMS-dependent methanogenesis in saltmarsh sediments
Dennis Alexander Tebbe, Charlotte Gruender, Leon Dlugosch, Kertu Lõhmus, Sönke Rolfes, Martin Könneke, Yin Chen, Bert Engelen and Hendrik Schaefer
Saltmarshes are highly productive environments, exhibiting high abundances of organosulfur compounds. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is produced in large quantities by algae, plants, and bacteria and is a potential precursor for dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and dimethylsulfide (DMS). DMSO serves as electron acceptor for anaerobic respiration leading to DMS formation, which is either emitted or can be degraded by methylotrophic prokaryotes. Major products of these reactions are trace gases with positive (CO2, CH4) or negative (DMS) radiative forcing with contrasting effects on the global climate. Here, we investigated organic sulfur cycling in saltmarsh sediments and followed DMSO reduction in anoxic batch experiments. Compared to previous measurements from marine waters, DMSO concentrations in the saltmarsh sediments were up to ~300 fold higher.