Abstract
SummaryReduction of nitrous oxide (N2O) is an autonomous respiratory pathway. Nitrous oxide is an alternative electron acceptor to O2 when intensive biological activity and reduced diffusivity result in an O2 deficit. Hypoxic or anoxic micro sites may form even in well‐aerated soils, and provide a sink for N2O diffusing through the gas‐filled pore space. We reproduced similar in vitro conditions in suboxic (0.15% O2) flow‐through incubation experiments with samples from a Stagnosol and from a Histosol. Apparent half‐saturation constants (km) for N2O reduction were similar for both soils and were, on average, 3.8 μmol mol−1 at 5°C, 5.1 μmol mol−1 at 10°C, and 6.9 μmol mol−1 at 20°C. Respiration of N2O was estimated to contribute a maximum proportion of 1.7% to total respiration in the Stagnosol (pH 7.0) and 0.9% in the Histosol (pH 2.9).
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