Methanotrophs are the bacteria residing in the soil. Nowadays, due extensive need of food we are introducing much quantity of synthetic fertilizers in the fields, that may affect methanotrophs, the sole biological sink for the potent green house gas methane. There may be adverse effect the synthetic fertilizers on the methaotrophs.
Yes, theoretically/conceptually one would expect adverse effects of synthetic fertilizers on the methanotrophs, but such effects are not necessarily observed in practice.
For example: Anne Daebeler in the lab of professor Rieks Laanbroek and colleagues recently reported stimulatory effects of elevated ammonium concentrations on the processes of nitrification and methane oxidation in a volcanic grassland soil (ISME Journal 2014, 8, 2397-2410; DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2014.81). The authors suggest the existence of a previously overlooked competition for nitrogen between nitrifiers and methane oxidizers in soil. Thus ammonia does not necessarily inhibit methane oxidation; on the contrary, it can stimulate as well.
Both inorganic and organic fertilizers exert varying degrees of impacts on the methanotrophic community although, combined use of mineral fertilizer and compost (MNP) can reduce soil methane oxidation whereas either mineral fertilizer (NP) or compost (M) may show no effect. Further details can be found via the following links:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18452547
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14510840
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21250462
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