Thaumarchaeota are able to utilize simple organic nitrogen compounds, such as cyanate or urea, as an additional energy and nitrogen source. This is the main result of an international study, recently published under the aegis of the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, in collaboration with colleagues from the universities of Bremen, Oldenburg and Vienna (Austria) as well as the Georgia Institute for Technology (US). One co-author of the study is Dr. Jutta Niggeman, member of the ICBM-Max Planck bridging group for Marine Geochemistry in Oldenburg.

Until recently, scientists believed that Thaumarchaeota, which are among the most abundant marine microorganisms and thought to play a key role in marine nitrogen cycle, solely relied on inorganic ammonia as a source of energy. – The results of the recent study have been published in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology.

Press release of the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology