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Updated: Aug 23, 2025

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Published on: May 6, 2010
Disentangling the coupling relationships between functional denitrifiers and nitrogen transformation during
Liting Deng1, Wanying Liu1, Nuo Chang1
1College of Resources and Environment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
Abstract:
This study explored the coupling relationships between denitrifiers and N-transformation using multi-level (DNA, RNA and enzyme) and multi-aspect (abundance, diversity, structure, key community, network pattern, and functional module) analyses during cattle-manure (CM) and biochar (CMB) composting. Amino sugar-N (ASN, 0.914) and hydrolysable unknown-N (-0.724) were main organic-N components mediating NH4+-N in CM and CMB, respectively. Biochar lowered nirK, nirS, and nosZ genes copies, up-regulated nir gene transcripts, and inhibited nitrite reductase (NIR) activity. For nirK-denitrifiers, Luteimonas was predominant taxa influencing NO2--N and amino acid-N (AAN). Unclassified_k_norank_d_Bacteria and unclassified_p_Proteobacteria regulated NO3--N and ASN, respectively. These three genera played crucial roles in mediating NIR activity and nosZ/nirK. For nirS-denitrifiers, Paracoccus and Pseudomonas mediated NH4+-N and AAN, respectively, and they were vital genera regulating NO3--N, ASN and NIR activity. Furthermore, nirK-denitrifiers was major contributor to denitrification. Overall, functional denitrifiers might simultaneously participate in multiple N-transformation processes.
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