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Estimating Sediment Denitrification Rates Using Cores and N2O Microsensors
Published on: December 6, 2018
Temperature decouples ammonia and nitrite oxidation in greenhouse vegetable soils
Pengpeng Duan1, Qianqian Zhang2, Zhengqin Xiong2
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Agriculture and GHGs Mitigation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, Hunan, China.
Elevated temperatures uncouple soil ammonia and nitrite oxidation, causing nitrite accumulation and increased N2O emissions. This study quantifies temperature sensitivity for these processes in greenhouse soils.
Area of Science:
- Soil microbiology and biogeochemistry
- Environmental science
- Agricultural science
Background:
- Temperature significantly influences soil microbial processes, including nitrogen cycling.
- The specific effects of temperature on ammonia (NH3) and nitrite (NO2-) oxidation rates and subsequent nitrite accumulation remain poorly understood.
- Understanding these temperature dependencies is crucial for predicting greenhouse gas emissions from soils.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of temperature on soil ammonia oxidation (PAO) and nitrite oxidation (PNO) rates.
- To determine temperature sensitivity traits (Tmin, Topt, Tm_sens) for PAO and PNO using SQRT and MMRT models.
- To explore the relationship between microbial communities (AOA, AOB, NOB) and nitrogen oxidation rates under varying temperatures.
Main Methods:
- Soil potential ammonia oxidation (PAO) and nitrite oxidation (PNO) rates were measured across a 5-45°C temperature gradient in six greenhouse soils.
- Inhibitors were used to differentiate between PAO and PNO.
- Quantitative PCR was employed to determine the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) via amoA gene, and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) via nxrA and nxrB genes.
- Temperature sensitivity parameters were fitted using square root growth (SQRT) and macromolecular rate theory (MMRT) models.
Main Results:
- The optimal temperature for PAO (34.0°C) was significantly higher than for PNO (26.0°C).
- PAO showed higher temperature sensitivity (Tm_sens, Tmin) than PNO.
- PAO rates correlated with AOB-amoA at lower temperatures (20-30°C) and AOA-amoA at higher temperatures (30-35°C), while PNO correlated with nxrB (5-30°C).
- Nitrite (NO2-) and nitrous oxide (N2O) accumulation positively correlated with the ratio of ammonia oxidizers to nitrite oxidizers and with each other, respectively.
Conclusions:
- Elevated temperatures decouple ammonia and nitrite oxidation processes in soils.
- This uncoupling leads to the accumulation of nitrite, which can subsequently enhance N2O emissions.
- The findings highlight the critical role of temperature in regulating nitrogen cycling and greenhouse gas production in agricultural soils.
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