Different contributions of ammonia oxidizing archaea and bacteria to nitrification in soils amended with equivalent amounts of either ammonium-N or organic-N

Abstract

Although considerable knowledge exists on the impact of crop residues on soil N availability, information about their impact on nitrification specifically is lacking. The unique physiologies of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) suggests their activities might respond differently to crop residue amendment compared to ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB). An incubation study was conducted on two widely distributed Oregon agricultural silt loam soils of the Walla Walla (WW) and Woodburn (CC) series, amended with a fertilizer rate of 70 μg N g−1 soil in the form of (1) NH4+-N, (2) clover stems (C:N ~ 25), or (3) clover leaves (C:N ~ 13). NH4+ accumulation in the presence of acetylene, and the relative amounts of AOA and AOB activities, in the presence of the selective AOB inhibitor, 1-octyne, were examined over a 28-31d incubation. Nitrifying activity in the crop residue-amended WW soil matched the rate of ammonification and was predominately octyne-resistant suggesting that nitrifying activity was dominated by AOA. In CC soil, the relative contributions of AOA and AOB to emergent activities was influenced by the nature of the residue and in a soil specific manner. In leaf amended CC soil, AOB contributed the majority of initial nitrifying activity over 0-7d, with the contribution of AOA activity increasing post 7d to represent 100% of the total rate. In stem amended CC soil, emergence of nitrifying and ammonifying activities were delayed, but after 7d incubation AOA activity emerged at a rate greater than the accompanying rate of ammonification. In NH4+-N amended soils, AOB activity emerged quickly at rates greater than when N was supplied by residues. The response of AOA activity to NH4+-N was soil specific being immediate and at a greater rate than leaf residue supported activity in WW soil, whereas in CC soil, AOA activity was temporally delayed (as with residue treatment) and emerged at a rate similar to that supported by leaf residue. From a practical perspective, the findings of this study show that an application of 70 μg N g−1 soil as crop residues can prevent AOB driven nitrifying activity from reaching its potential compared to an inorganic NH4+-N application, and also suggest the potential of AOA activity to be modified by residues in a soil specific manner.