Acetate and sulphate as regulators of potential methane production in a tropical coastal lagoon

Purpose We evaluated the influence of acetate and sulphate addition on methanogenesis in sediment layers of cores of different carbon and sulphate concentrations from the littoral region colonized by Typha domingensis Pers. (area 1) and from the limnetic region (area 2) of a tropical coastal lagoon separated from the sea by a sandbar. We hypothesized that area 1 presents a proportionally smaller potential methane production (PMP) on sulphate addition than area 2. We further hypothesized that acetate addition stimulates proportionally greater PMP in area 2 sediment layers than in area 1.