This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Damgaard, L. R. Articles by Reichardt, W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Damgaard, L. R. Articles by Reichardt, W. Agricola Articles by Damgaard, L. R. Articles by Reichardt, W.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol, March 1998, p. 864-870, Vol. 64, No. 3
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Use of an Oxygen-Insensitive Microscale Biosensor for Methane To Measure Methane Concentration Profiles in a Rice Paddy

Lars R. Damgaard,¹ Niels Peter Revsbech,^1,* and Wolfgang Reichardt²

Department of Microbial Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark,¹ and Soil and Water Sciences Division, International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines²

Received 28 August 1997/Accepted 16 December 1997

An oxygen-insensitive microscale biosensor for methane was constructed by furnishing a previously described biosensor with an oxygen guard. The guard consisted of a glass capillary containing heterotrophic bacteria, which consumed oxygen diffusing through the tip membrane, thus preventing it from diffusing into the methane-sensing unit. Oxygen microprofiles were measured through the oxygen guard capillary, demonstrating the principle and limitations of the method. When the tip of the guard capillary was exposed to 100% oxygen at 21°C, heterotrophic oxygen consumption prevented oxygen from diffusing further than 170 µm into the capillary, whereas atmospheric levels of oxygen were consumed within 50 µm. The capacity of the oxygen guard for scavenging oxygen decreased with decreasing temperature, and atmospheric levels of oxygen caused oxygen penetration to 200 µm at 5°C. The sensors could be manufactured with tip diameters as small as 25 µm, and response times were about 1 min at room temperature. Pore water profiles of methane concentrations in a rice paddy soil were measured, and a strong correlation between the depths of oxygen penetration and methane appearance was observed as a function of the light regimen; this finding confirmed the role of microbenthic photosynthesis in limiting methane emissions from surfaces of waterlogged sediments and soils.

---

^* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbial Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Aarhus, Bd. 540, Ny Munkegade, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. Phone: 45 8942 3230. Fax: 45 8612 7191. E-mail: revsbech{at}biology.aau.dk.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Satoh, H., Miura, Y., Tsushima, I., Okabe, S. (2007). Layered Structure of Bacterial and Archaeal Communities and Their In Situ Activities in Anaerobic Granules. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 7300-7307 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Koster, M., Gliesche, C. G., Wardenga, R. (2006). Microbiosensors for Measurement of Microbially Available Dissolved Organic Carbon: Sensor Characteristics and Preliminary Environmental Application. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 7063-7073 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Meyer, R. L., Kjaer, T., Revsbech, N. P. (2002). Nitrification and Denitrification near a Soil-Manure Interface Studied with a Nitrate-Nitrite Biosensor. Soil Sci. 66: 498-506 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Santegoeds, C. M., Damgaard, L. R., Hesselink, G., Zopfi, J., Lens, P., Muyzer, G., de Beer, D. (1999). Distribution of Sulfate-Reducing and Methanogenic Bacteria in Anaerobic Aggregates Determined by Microsensor and Molecular Analyses. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 4618-4629 [Abstract] [Full Text]