Relative rates of nitric oxide and nitrous oxide production by nitrifiers, denitrifiers, and nitrate respirers

Biogenic emissions of nitric and nitrous oxides have important impacts on the photochemistry and chemistry of the atmosphere. Although biogenic production appears to be the overwhelming source of N(2)O, the magnitude of the biogenic emission of NO is very uncertain. In soils, possible sources of NO and N(2)O include nitrification by autotrophic and heterotrophic nitrifiers, denitrification by nitrifiers and denitrifiers, nitrate respiration by fermenters, and chemodenitrification. The availability of oxygen determines to a large extent the relative activities of these various groups of organisms. To better understand this influence, we investigated the effect of the partial pressure of oxygen (pO(2)) on the production of NO and N(2)O by a wide variety of common soil nitrifying, denitrifying, and nitrate-respiring bacteria under laboratory conditions. The production of NO per cell was highest by autotrophic nitrifiers and was independent of pO(2) in the range tested (0.5 to 10%), whereas N(2)O production was inversely proportional to pO(2). Nitrous oxide production was highest in the denitrifier Pseudomonas fluorescens, but only under anaerobic conditions. The molar ratio of NO/N(2)O produced was usually greater than unity for nitrifiers and much less than unity for denitrifiers. Chemodenitrification was the major source of both the NO and N(2)O produced by the nitrate respirer Serratia marcescens. Chemodenitrification was also a possible source of NO and N(2)O in nitrifier cultures but only when high concentrations of nitrite had accumulated or were added to the medium. Although most of the denitrifiers produced NO and N(2)O only under anaerobic conditions, chemostat cultures of Alcaligenes faecalis continued to emit these gases even when the cultures were sparged with air. Based upon these results, we predict that aerobic soils are primary sources of NO and that N(2)O is produced only when there is sufficient soil moisture to provide the anaerobic microsites necessary for denitrification by either denitrifiers or nitrifiers.