Bundles of Methanothrix surrounded by ECP (1991):

Morgan et al. suggested a possible mechanism involved in the growth of anaerobic granules based on the examination of granules treating papermill and sugar refinery effluents.In their opinion, granules develop from a precursor that consists of a small aggregate of Methanothrix and other bacteria.Growth of the Methanothrix filaments form characteristic bundles separated by a surrounding matrix in which other methanogenic and non-methanogenic bacteria are embedded.As the bundles increase in size the surroud-ing matrix becomes excluded leading to a region towards the center of the granule, which consists exclusively of compact filaments of Methanothrix and where discrete bundles are not distinguishable.Thus, these authors support previous suggestions on the importance of Methanothrix and bacterial polymers in the growth of the granules.