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Nitrogen Metabolism Genes from Temperate Marine Sediments.
Carolina Reyes1,2, Dominik Schneider3, Marko Lipka4
1Microbial Ecophysiology, University of Bremen, Leobener Strasse, D-28359, Bremen, Germany. creyes6@gmail.com.
Marine Biotechnology (New York, N.Y.)
|March 12, 2017
Summary
This study investigated nitrogen cycling in marine sediments, revealing diverse microbial pathways like ammonification and denitrification. Both ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea were abundant, with differences in specific nitrifying groups between sites.
Area of Science:
- Marine microbiology
- Biogeochemistry
- Environmental genomics
Background:
- Nitrogen cycling is crucial in marine ecosystems.
- Understanding microbial pathways is key to nutrient dynamics.
- Sediments are hotspots for biogeochemical transformations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze nitrogen pathways in Skagerrak and Bothnian Bay sediments.
- To identify key microbial genes and organisms involved in nitrogen transformations.
- To compare nitrogen cycling potentials between different marine sediment environments.
Main Methods:
- Metagenomic sequencing of sediment DNA.
- Analysis of porewater biogeochemical profiles (nitrate, ammonium).
- Metabolic modeling and 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
Main Results:
- Identified genes for ammonification, nitrification, denitrification, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction.
- Observed similar abundances of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA).
- Found higher abundance of denitrification genes than DNRA genes.
- Noted differences in specific nitrifying microbial groups between Skagerrak and Bothnian Bay.
Conclusions:
- Marine sediments harbor significant metabolic potential for key nitrogen transformations.
- Microbial communities exhibit distinct functional potentials for nitrogen cycling.
- Further research can elucidate the ecological roles of these pathways in marine environments.
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