The methane-producing Archaea or methanoarchaea are distinguished by their ability to obtain all or most of their energy for growth from the process of methane biosynthesis or methanogenesis. To date, no methanogens have been identified that can grow without producing methane, and these Archaea are all obligate methane producers that are uniquely specialized for this lifestyle. Methanogenesis is an anaerobic respiration, but its complexity and commitment of resources far exceeds that found in other common respiratory processes. For instance, it requires the biosynthesis of six unusual coenzymes; a long, multistep pathway for methane; and a number of unique membrane-bound enzyme complexes for coupling to the proton motive force (see below).
Given the complexity of this process, it is not surprising that methanogens appear to be monophyletic. Hence, all modern methanoarchaea possess an ancient ancestor within the Euryarchaeota (Fig. 1). Although the branching order of the deep branches...
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Hedderich, R., Whitman, W.B. (2006). Physiology and Biochemistry of the Methane-Producing Archaea. In: Dworkin, M., Falkow, S., Rosenberg, E., Schleifer, KH., Stackebrandt, E. (eds) The Prokaryotes. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30742-7_34
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