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Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Estimating Sediment Denitrification Rates Using Cores and N2O Microsensors
Published on: December 6, 2018
Increase of N2O production during nitrate reduction after long-term sulfide addition in lake sediment microcosms
Shengjie Li1, Yunmeng Pang2, Guodong Ji1
1Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Department of Environmental Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Abstract:
Microbial denitrification is a main source of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions which have strong greenhouse effect and destroy stratospheric ozone. Though the importance of sulfide driven chemoautotrophic denitrification has been recognized, its contribution to N2O emissions in nature remains elusive. We built up long-term sulfide-added microcosms with sediments from two freshwater lakes. Chemistry analysis confirmed sulfide could drive nitrate respiration in long term. N2O accumulated to over 1.5% of nitrate load in both microcosms after long-term sulfide addition, which was up to 12.9 times higher than N2O accumulation without sulfide addition. Metagenomes were extracted and sequenced during microcosm incubations. 16 S rRNA genes of Thiobacillus and Defluviimonas were gradually enriched. The nitric oxide reductase with c-type cytochromes as electron donors (cNorB) increased in abundance, while the nitric oxide reductase receiving electrons from quinols (qNorB) decreased in abundance. cnorB genes similar to Thiobacillus were enriched in both microcosms. In parallel, enrichment was observed for enzymes involved in sulfur oxidation, which supplied electrons to nitrate respiration, and enzymes involved in Calvin Cycle, which sustained autotrophic cell growth, implying the coupling relationship between carbon, nitrogen and sulfur cycling processes. Our results suggested sulfur pollution considerably increased N2O emissions in natural environments.
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