Nitrosovibrio spp., the Dominant Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria in Building Sandstone.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Environmental Science
• Building Science

Background:

• Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) play crucial roles in nitrogen cycling.
• Understanding AOB distribution in built environments is important for conservation and environmental studies.
• Historical buildings provide unique microhabitats for microbial communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in and around historical buildings.
• To identify dominant AOB genera in building stones versus surrounding soil.
• To understand the ecological distribution of specific AOB genera in a built environment.

Main Methods:

• Sampling of building stones and soil from five historical buildings in Germany.
• Detection and quantification of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria using molecular methods.
• Identification of bacterial genera, focusing on Nitrosovibrio, Nitrosospira, and Nitrosomonas.

Main Results:

• High cell numbers of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (Nitrosovibrio, Nitrosospira, Nitrosomonas) were detected in all sampled buildings.
• Nitrosovibrio was the most abundant AOB genus found on the building stones.
• Nitrosomonas spp. were the most common AOB in the soil samples, with Nitrosovibrio spp. absent.

Conclusions:

• Specific ammonia-oxidizing bacteria genera exhibit distinct distributions in built environments.
• Nitrosovibrio appears adapted to colonize building stone surfaces.
• Nitrosomonas is more prevalent in the soil adjacent to historical structures, indicating niche differentiation.