Okefenokee SwampInteractive 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 CyclesCarbon 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