Unique and novel methanotroph taxa from the tropics: taxonomic novelty and a gateway to methane mitigation and valorization applications
Abstract
Methanotrophs, aerobic to microaerophilic bacteria that oxidize methane, play a critical role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. While most cultured methanotrophs have originated from temperate regions, tropical methanotrophs remained largely unexplored until recent efforts from India and Southeast Asia. The first methanotroph described from the tropical region was Methylomicrobium kenyense (renamed Methylotuvimicrobium kenyense, an alkalophilic methanotroph isolated from Kenyan soda lakes, in 2000). However, after that, there is a large gap till 2014–2015. In the last 10 years, six novel taxa have been described from tropical rice fields and wetlands. The present review focuses on the novel methanotrophs described from the tropics. India has contributed the most, with five novel methanotrophs, including two novel genera—Methylocucumis and Methylolobus —two novel species of Methylobacter, and one novel species of Methylomicrobium. Methyloterricola oryzae, a novel genus-species, was isolated from the rice fields of the Philippines. All novel tropical methanotrophs are Type I and belong to the Gammaproteobacteria, with unique morphologies ranging from the cucumber-shaped cells of Methylocucumis oryzae to the coccoid aggregates of Methylolobus aquaticus and the slightly polygonal cells of Ca. Methylobacter coli. The habitats are diverse: rice fields, wetlands, and mammalian guts, thereby extending the ecology of methanotrophs. Collectively, these discoveries expand global methanotroph diversity, establish tropical rice ecosystems and wetlands as hotspots for methane mitigation, and provide experimental models for linking genomic traits to ecological persistence. Future applications include biotechnological valorization of methane and enhanced methane mitigation strategies for climate change. By applying these microbes in industrial and environmental settings, methanotrophs can take center stage in ecological sustainability and climate resilience.
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BibTeX
@article{pardhi2026unique,
title = {{Unique and novel methanotroph taxa from the tropics: taxonomic novelty and a gateway to methane mitigation and valorization applications}},
author = {Kajal Pardhi and Monali C. Rahalkar and Shubha Manvi and Rahul A. Bahulikar and Jyoti A. Mohite and Pratibha Srivastava},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.2001352},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.2001352},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Unique and novel methanotroph taxa from the tropics: taxonomic novelty and a gateway to methane mitigation and valorization applications
AU - Kajal Pardhi
AU - Monali C. Rahalkar
AU - Shubha Manvi
AU - Rahul A. Bahulikar
AU - Jyoti A. Mohite
AU - Pratibha Srivastava
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.2001352
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.2001352
AB - Methanotrophs, aerobic to microaerophilic bacteria that oxidize methane, play a critical role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. While most cultured methanotrophs have originated from temperate regions, tropical methanotrophs remained largely unexplored until recent efforts from India and Southeast Asia. The first methanotroph described from the tropical region was Methylomicrobium kenyense (renamed Methylotuvimicrobium kenyense, an alkalophilic methanotroph isolated from Kenyan soda lakes, in 2000). However, after that, there is a large gap till 2014–2015. In the last 10 years, six novel taxa have been described from tropical rice fields and wetlands. The present review focuses on the novel methanotrophs described from the tropics. India has contributed the most, with five novel methanotrophs, including two novel genera—Methylocucumis and Methylolobus —two novel species of Methylobacter, and one novel species of Methylomicrobium. Methyloterricola oryzae, a novel genus-species, was isolated from the rice fields of the Philippines. All novel tropical methanotrophs are Type I and belong to the Gammaproteobacteria, with unique morphologies ranging from the cucumber-shaped cells of Methylocucumis oryzae to the coccoid aggregates of Methylolobus aquaticus and the slightly polygonal cells of Ca. Methylobacter coli. The habitats are diverse: rice fields, wetlands, and mammalian guts, thereby extending the ecology of methanotrophs. Collectively, these discoveries expand global methanotroph diversity, establish tropical rice ecosystems and wetlands as hotspots for methane mitigation, and provide experimental models for linking genomic traits to ecological persistence. Future applications include biotechnological valorization of methane and enhanced methane mitigation strategies for climate change. By applying these microbes in industrial and environmental settings, methanotrophs can take center stage in ecological sustainability and climate resilience.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -