Researchers have conducted studies on the areas involved in the biogeochemical cycle of methane in the water column and anoxic, or oxygen-free, sediments of Lake Pavin. The results highlighted the distribution of methanogen communities over the entire water column and in the superficial layer of the deep sediments. They also pointed out a particular activity in the benthic zone, at the bottom of the lake, which constitutes the main source of methane in Lake Pavin's ecosystem.