Question

Organisms called Methanogens are most abundant in a:

• A. Hot spring
• B. Sulphur rock
• C. Cattleyard
• D. Polluted stream

Answer 1

The correct option is C

Cattleyard

Methanogens are a group of bacteria belonging to the genera (Methanobrevibacter, Methanomicrobium, Methanobacterium, and Methanosarcina), which are are capable of producing methane and hydrogen gases. When cows feed on grass and other plants that are rich in cellulose, the food enters the food pipe and reaches the rumen of the cow - a part of the stomach. Here the plant fibers are acted upon by generic microbes that ferment the cellulose to release C02 and H2 gases. In another part of cow's gut, the methanogens soak up the hydrogen to form CH4. Because methanogens tend to reside in the intestinal tract of cattle, cattle dung provides a rich source of these important microbes. Thus methanogens are abundant in cattle yard.