Enrichment cultures of Black Sea sediment of 5-6 cm bsf and 29-30 cm bsf, enriched for sulfate reducing microorganisms and acetogens on methanol

Methylated compounds such as methanol are important drivers in marine sediment biogeochemical processes. It was long assumed that in sulfate rich sediments, these compounds serve as a non-competitive substrate for methanogenic archaea, who would otherwise be outcompeted by sulfate reducing microorganisms. However, there is an increasing body of evidence that non-canonical organisms such as sulfate reducing microorganisms and acetogens are likewise able to use these methylated compounds as energy and carbon source. In this study, we enriched sulfate rich sediment obtained from the Black Sea with methanol as sole carbon and energy source and 2-bromoethanesulfate to inhibit methanogenesis. After 12 months of incubation, the microbial community was analysed utilizing amplicon sequencing.