A novel microbial pathway towards simultaneous mitigation of N2O and CH4 in wetlands

Given the pressing need to alleviate the greenhouse effect, identifying and quantifying novel microbial pathways for the simultaneous mitigation of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), are of fundamental importance. However, such an intriguing process with great biotechnological potential has never been explored. Here, we propose a process of anaerobic CH4 oxidation coupled to N2O reduction (N2O-AMO), occurring in wetland sediments near the oxic–anoxic interface, where the CH4 produced in the organic-rich lower layer diffuses upwards to meet N2O, which diffuses from the denitrifying zone. We will use a high-throughput cultivation approach coupled with the latest detection technology to isolate these capable microbes and uncover their genomic and metabolic secrets. This process not only contributes significantly to a unique link between the two major global cycles of C and N, but also acts as an important and overlooked sink for simultaneously mitigating two highly potent greenhouse gases.