The Production of Swamp Gas

Okefenokee Swamp
Interactive Lesson:
The Production of Swamp Gas
What is Swamp Gas?
• Swamp gas is a
mixture of gases that
contain methane.
• Methane is produced
by bacteria which
decompose organic
material in an
anaerobic (anoxic)
environment.
Aerobic vs. Anaerobic
• Decomposition can take place in an aerobic
or in an anaerobic environment.
• Aerobic environment has free oxygen
available.
• Anaerobic environment does not have free
oxygen available.
• Aerobic decomposition produces CO2 while a
decomposition in an anaerobic environment
may produce methane (CH4).
Matter and Energy in the Ecosystem
• Ecosystems cycle
matter and transfer
energy.
• Producers fix energy
from the sun which
flows through food
chains.
• Decomposers cycle
matter in an
ecosystem.
Some Top predators in the Okefenokee
Swamp
• Decomposers cycle matter in the
ecosystem
Methanogenesis
• Methanogenesis is the formation of
methane by microorganisms called
methanogens.
• Methanogens are a type of bacteria
which live in an anaerobic
environment, produce methane, and
belong to the kingdom archaebacteria.
• Methanogens are common in wetland
areas such as the Okefenokee Swamp
where the sediments are anoxic.
What is the ecological role of
methanogens?
• Methanogens play a key
role in the
decomposition and
cycling of matter.
• Decomposition allows
important nutrients to
be released into the
environment, making
them available to other
organisms.
• Swamp gas produced by
methanogens is responsible
for the formation of bogs in
the Okefenokee Swamp.
• These floating bogs are
responsible for giving the
Okefenokee Swamp its name,
the land of the trembling
earth.
Major Chemical Cycles
Carbon cycle
Phosphorus Cycle
Water (hydrologic) cycle
• Bog formation is the basis
of ecological succession in
the Okefenokee Swamp.
• Ecological succession
describes the order of
organisms which populate a
newly formed habitat.
• The floating bogs provide
habitat for many types of
organisms.
The production of swamp gas is responsible for many of
the unique characteristics of the Okefenokee Swamp.
Properties of Methane
• Methane is combustible.
• Combustion is a chemical
reaction in which a
substance rapidly combines
with oxygen producing light
and heat.
• Methane is the main
component of natural gas.
Chemical Equation for the
Combustion of Methane
Swamp Gas Collection