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ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY

Termite mounds are hydrogen sinks

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 19, page 618 (2021)Cite this article

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Termites digest recalcitrant plant material in their gut thanks to bacterial and flagellate symbionts. During this process, both hydrogen and methane are produced. Chiri et al. now show that the hydrogen gas emissions support the growth of hydrogenotrophic members of the Actinobacteriota and Dormibacterota phyla. 16S rRNA sequencing and metagenomics showed that those two phyla are enriched in mounds compared with the surrounding soil, as are the enzymes hydrogenases and RuBisCO, which couples hydrogen oxygenation with carbon fixation. Furthermore, flux chamber and microcosmos incubations showed that the mounds consume hydrogen produced by the termites and even remove some from the atmosphere. Based on these findings, the authors conclude that the termites select hydrogenotrophic bacteria in their mounds. Interestingly, actinobacteria are well known antibiotic producers and it has been suggested previously that they might function as defensive symbionts against invading bacteria and fungi in termite mounds.

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Original article

  • Chiri, E. et al. Termite gas emissions select for hydrogenotrophic microbial communities in termite mounds. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 118, e2102625118 (2021)

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

    Ursula Hofer

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  1. Ursula Hofer
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Correspondence to Ursula Hofer.

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Hofer, U. Termite mounds are hydrogen sinks. Nat Rev Microbiol 19, 618 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-021-00622-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-021-00622-8

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