Mathematical Modeling of the Methanogenic Ecosystem

This chapter illustrates the process using part of a model produced at Oxford University for the UK Department of the Environment. A mathematical model may be thought of as a way of combining a number of subsystems, each of which is understood independently, into a whole assembly which is not otherwise predictable. To introduce feedback into the model the decomposition rates of each subcategory were taken to be functions of temperature, pH, and the local water saturation level. Additional modeling work would be valuable to explore the effects of spatial dependency on isolated subsets of the ecosystem, investigating things as the rate at which a methanogenic region can spread to adjacent areas. To investigate the possibilities of a single species of methanogens being able to metabolize both acetate and hydrogen, a constant mutation rate was postulated at which the acetoclasts and hydrogen-users acquired the alternative methanogenic potential.