Thiobacillus spp. and Anaeromyxobacter spp. mediate arsenite oxidation-dependent biological nitrogen fixation in two contrasting types of arsenic-contaminated soils.

Abstract

As(III) oxidation-dependent biological nitrogen fixing (As-dependent BNF) bacteria use a novel biogeochemical process observed in tailings recently. However, our understanding of microorganisms responsible for As-dependent BNF is limited and whether such a process occurs in As-contaminated soils is still unknown. In this study, two contrasting types of soils (surface soils versus river sediments) heavily contaminated by As were selected to study the occurrence of As-dependent BNF. BNF was observed in sediments and soils amended with As(III), whereas no apparent BNF was found in the cultures without As(III). The increased abundances of the nitrogenase gene (nifH) and As(III) oxidation gene (aioA) suggest that an As-dependent BNF process was catalyzed by microorganisms harboring nifH and aioA. In addition, DNA-SIP demonstrated that Thiobacillus spp. and Anaeromyxobacter spp. were putative As-dependent BNF bacteria in As-contaminated soils and sediments, respectively. Metagenomic analysis further suggested that these taxa contained genes responsible for BNF, As(III) oxidation, and CO2 fixation, demonstrating their capability for serving as As-dependent BNF. These results indicated the occurrence of As-dependent BNF in various As-contaminated habitats. The contrasting geochemical conditions in different types of soil suggested that these conditions may enrich different As-dependent BNF bacteria (Thiobacillus spp. for soils and Anaeromyxobacter spp. for sediments).