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Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O
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Explaining nitrogen turnover in sediments and water through variations in microbial community composition and

Shan Yang1, Meijun Dong1, Huibin Lu1

  • 1Guangdong Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Microbiology and Ecological Safety, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510070, China.

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Summary

Coastal aquaculture nitrogen pollution is high, with nitrate nitrogen being a major pollutant. Fish-shrimp polyculture effectively reduces nitrogen levels by enhancing microbial functions, unlike monoculture.

Keywords:
Functional pathwaysMicrobial groupsNitrogen turnoverSediments and water

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental microbiology
  • Aquatic biogeochemistry
  • Coastal aquaculture science

Background:

  • Anthropogenic activities significantly alter nitrogen (N) biogeochemical cycling in aquatic ecosystems.
  • High nitrogen concentrations in coastal aquaculture pose threats to fisheries and ecosystem health.
  • Microbial communities and their metabolic activities are key drivers of nitrogen turnover.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the contribution of microorganisms to nitrogen turnover in sediment and water within three distinct coastal aquaculture ecosystems.
  • To identify the dominant nitrogen species and assess pollution levels.
  • To compare nitrogen cycling microbial functions between fish monoculture and fish-shrimp polyculture systems.

Main Methods:

  • Field sampling across three aquaculture types in Guangdong, China.
  • Analysis of nitrogen species, particularly nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N).
  • Quantification of microbial groups involved in nitrogen assimilation and reduction.
  • Application of structural equation modeling (SEM) to relate microbial functions to total nitrogen (TN) changes.

Main Results:

  • Nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) was the predominant nitrogen form in both sediment and water, indicating significant pollution.
  • Fish-shrimp polyculture exhibited higher abundances of nitrogen assimilation and aerobic denitrification bacteria compared to fish monoculture.
  • Polyculture systems showed significantly lower NO₃⁻-N concentrations than monoculture systems.
  • Microbial functional pathways, rather than microbial community composition, better explained variations in total nitrogen (TN) levels.

Conclusions:

  • Fish-shrimp polyculture can effectively mitigate nitrogen pollution in coastal aquaculture by enhancing key microbial nitrogen cycling processes.
  • Microbial functional capabilities are more critical than community structure in regulating nitrogen turnover and pollution in these ecosystems.
  • Understanding microbial functions is crucial for developing strategies to maintain healthy coastal aquaculture environments.