AOA) And Bacteria Research Articles

Effects of repeated application of sulfadiazine-contaminated pig manure on the abundance and diversity of ammonia and nitrite oxidizers in the root-rhizosphere complex of pasture plants under field conditions

In a field experiment, the impact of repeated application of the antibiotic sulfadiazine (SDZ)-contaminated pig manure was assessed on functional microbial communities involved in ammonia and nitrite oxidation in the root-rhizosphere complexes (RRCs) of diverse plants composing a pasture. We surveyed the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) as well as Nitrobacter- and Nitrospira-like nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) by quantitative PCR (qPCR), and the diversity of amoA AOA and Nitrobacter-like nxrA amplicons using a cloning-sequencing approach. Whereas the first SDZ-contaminated manure application caused only slight effects on the investigated microbial communities and did not change the diversity and abundance pattern significantly, the second application of SDZ-contaminated manure induced an up to 15-fold increased ratio of AOA:AOB and a reduction of nrxA genes. The diversity of AOA amoA increased after the second application of SDZ-contaminated manure compared to the control treatment whereas a clear reduction of nrxA OTUs was visible in the same samples. The results indicate that the application of SDZ may principally affect nitrite oxidation by NOB and alternative pathways like nitrite reduction might be favored under these conditions.

Effects of temperatures near the freezing point on N2O emissions, denitrification and on the abundance and structure of nitrifying and denitrifying soil communities

Climate warming in temperate regions may lead to decreased soil temperatures over winter as a result of reduced snow cover. We examined the effects of temperatures near the freezing point on N(2)O emissions, denitrification, and on the abundance and structure of soil nitrifiers and denitrifiers. Soil microcosms supplemented with NO3 - and/or NO3 - plus red clover residues were incubated for 120 days at -4 °C, -1 °C, +2 °C or +5 °C. Among microcosms amended with residues, N(2)O emission and/or denitrification increased with increasing temperature on Days 2 and 14. Interestingly, N(2)O emission and/or denitrification after Day 14 were the greatest at -1 °C. Substantial N(2) O emissions were only observed on Day 2 at +2 °C and +5 °C, while at -1 °C, N(2)O emissions were consistently detected over the duration of the experiment. Abundances of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), Nitrospira-like bacteria and nirK denitrifiers were the lowest in soils at -4 °C, while abundances of Nitrobacter-like bacteria and nirS denitrifiers did not vary among temperatures. Community structures of nirK and nirS denitrifiers and Nitrobacter-like bacteria shifted between below-zero and above-zero temperatures. Structure of AOA and AOB communities also changed but not systematically among frozen and unfrozen temperatures. Results indicated shifts in some nitrifier and denitrifier communities with freezing and a surprising stimulation of N(2)O emissions at -1 °C when NO3 - and C are present.

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea and nitrite-oxidizing nitrospiras in the biofilter of a shrimp recirculating aquaculture system

This study analysed the nitrifier community in the biofilter of a zero discharge, recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) for the production of marine shrimp in a low density (low ammonium production) system. The ammonia-oxidizing populations were examined by targeting 16S rRNA and amoA genes of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA). The nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were investigated by targeting the 16S rRNA gene. Archaeal amoA genes were more abundant in all compartments of the RAS than bacterial amoA genes. Analysis of bacterial and archaeal amoA gene sequences revealed that most ammonia oxidizers were related to Nitrosomonas marina and Nitrosopumilus maritimus. The NOB detected were related to Nitrospira marina and Nitrospira moscoviensis, and Nitrospira marina-type NOB were more abundant than N. moscoviensis-type NOB. Water quality and biofilm attachment media played a role in the competitiveness of AOA over AOB and Nitrospira marina-over N. moscoviensis-type NOB.

Soil N mineralization, nitrification and dynamic changes in abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea along a 2000 year chronosequence of rice cultivation

Soil mineralization, nitrification, and dynamic changes in abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) were studied to validate our hypothesis that soil mineralization and nitrification decreased along the chronosequence of rice cultivation. Paddy soils with a 300, 700 and 2000-year cultivation history (P300, P700 and P2000) were selected to study net mineralization and nitrification processes. Dynamic abundance of AOB and AOA was estimated by quantifying their respective amoA gene copies. The net mineralization rate was higher for P300 than P700 and P2000. Potential nitrification (N p ) and average nitrification rates (V a ) were similar for P300 and P700 soils, but the simulated potential nitrification rate (V p ) and nitrification rate (k1) was 72 % and 88 % higher for P300 than P700, respectively. V a was about 70 % lower than for P2000 than P300 and P700. AOB amoA gene copies were higher for P300 than P700 and P2000, whereas AOA abundance did not show significant differences. AOB abundance showed a positive response to NH4 supply but AOA did not. Both N mineralization and nitrification were depressed with increased cultivation time. Archaea responded to mineralization positively rather than nitrification, which suggested that readily mineralized organic matter may play an important role in AOA.

Long‐term field fertilization affects soil nitrogen transformations in a rice‐wheat‐rotation cropping system

AbstractMineralization and nitrification are the key processes of the global N cycle and are primarily driven by microorganisms. However, it remains largely unknown about the consequence of intensified agricultural activity on microbial N transformation in agricultural soils. In this study, the 15N‐dilution technique was carried out to investigate the gross mineralization and nitrification in soils from a long‐term field fertilization experiment starting from 1988. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) analysis was used to determine soil microbial communities, e.g., biomasses of anaerobic bacterial, bacterial, fungi, and actinobacteria. The abundance of ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) were measured using real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results have demonstrated significant stimulation of gross mineralization in the chemical‐fertilizers treatment (NPK) ([6.53 ± 1.29] mg N kg–1 d–1) and chemical fertilizers–plus–straw treatment (NPK+S1) soils ([8.13 ± 1.68] mg N kg–1 d–1) but not in chemical fertilizers–plus–two times straw treatment (NPK+S2) soil when compared to the control‐treatment (CK) soil ([3.62 ± 0.86] mg N kg–1 d–1). The increase of anaerobic bacterial biomass is up to 6‐fold in the NPK+S2 compared to that in the CK soil ([0.7 ± 0.5] nmol g–1), implying that exceptionally high abundance of anaerobic bacteria may inhibit gross mineralization to some extent. The gross nitrification shows upward trends in the NPK+S1 and NPK+S2 soils. However, it is only significantly higher in the NPK soil ([5.56 ± 0.51] mg N kg–1 d–1) compared to that in the CK soil ([3.70 ± 0.47] mg N kg–1 d–1) (p < 0.05). The AOB abundance increased from (0.28 ± 0.07) × 106 copies (g soil)–1 for the CK treatment to (4.79 ± 1.23) × 106 copies (g soil)–1 for the NPK treatment after the 22‐year fertilization. In contrast, the AOA abundance was not significantly different among all treatment soils. The changes of AOB were well paralleled by gross nitrification activity (gross nitrification rate = 0.263 AOB + 0.047 NH$ _4^+ $‐N + 2.434, R<?h.3>2 = 0.73, p < 0.05), suggesting the predominance of bacterial ammonia oxidation in the fertilized fields.

Dynamics of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria populations and contributions to soil nitrification potentials.

It is well known that the ratio of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) ranges widely in soils, but no data exist on what might influence this ratio, its dynamism, or how changes in relative abundance influences the potential contributions of AOA and AOB to soil nitrification. By sampling intensively from cropped-to-fallowed and fallowed-to-cropped phases of a 2-year wheat/fallow cycle, and adjacent uncultivated long-term fallowed land over a 15-month period in 2010 and 2011, evidence was obtained for seasonal and cropping phase effects on the soil nitrification potential (NP), and on the relative contributions of AOA and AOB to the NP that recovers after acetylene inactivation in the presence and absence of bacterial protein synthesis inhibitors. AOB community composition changed significantly (P0.0001) in response to cropping phase, and there were both seasonal and cropping phase effects on the amoA gene copy numbers of AOA and AOB. Our study showed that the AOA:AOB shifts were generated by a combination of different phenomena: an increase in AOA amoA abundance in unfertilized treatments, compared with their AOA counterparts in the N-fertilized treatment; a larger population of AOB under the N-fertilized treatment compared with the AOB community under unfertilized treatments; and better overall persistence of AOA than AOB in the unfertilized treatments. These data illustrate the complexity of the factors that likely influence the relative contributions of AOA and AOB to nitrification under the various combinations of soil conditions and NH(4)(+)-availability that exist in the field.

Abundance and Diversity of Ammonia-Oxidizing Prokaryotes in the Root–Rhizosphere Complex of Miscanthus × giganteus Grown in Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils

Mine wastes have been considered as a source of heavy metal (HM) contamination in the environment and negatively impact many important ecosystem services provided by soils. Plants like Miscanthus, which tolerate high HM concentrations in soil, are often used for phytoremediation and provide the possibility to use these soils at least for the production of energy crops. However, it is not clear if plant growth at these sites is limited by the availability of nutrients, mainly nitrogen, as microbes in soil might be affected by the contaminant. Therefore, in this study, we investigated in a greenhouse experiment the response of ammonia-oxidizing microbes in the root-rhizosphere complex of Miscanthus × giganteus grown in soils with different levels of long-term arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) contamination. Quantitative PCR of the ammonia monooxigenease gene (amoA) was performed to assess the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) at two different points of plant growth. Furthermore, bulk soil samples before planting were analyzed. In addition, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis was used to investigate the diversity of archaeal amoA amplicons. Whereas high concentrations of As and Pb in soil (83 and 15 g/kg, respectively) resulted independent from plant growth in a clear reduction of AOA and AOB compared to the control soils with lower HM contents, in soils with contamination levels of 10 g/kg As and 0.2 g/kg Pb, only AOB were negatively affected in bulk soil samples. Diversity analysis of archaeal amoA genes revealed clear differences in T-RFLP patterns in response to the degree of HM contamination. Therefore, our results could clearly prove the different response patterns of AOA and AOB in HM-contaminated soils and the development of archaeal amoA phylotypes which are more tolerant towards HMs in soil samples from the areas that were impacted the most by mining waste, which could contribute to functional redundancy of ammonia-oxidizing microbes in soils and stability of nitrification pattern.

The influence of salinity and ammonium levels on amoA mRNA expression of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes

This study investigated the influence of salinity and ammonium levels on ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) by monitoring their amo subunit A (amoA) messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. The aerobic mini-continuous stirred-tank reactors (mini-CSTRs) were operated for 48 h under different salinity or ammonium levels. Quantification of archaeal and bacterial amoA mRNA levels using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, combined with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis, was applied to investigate the differential transcriptional responses among AOA species. High salinity levels repressed both archaeal and bacterial amoA mRNA expressions. On the other hand, high ammonium levels repressed only archaeal mRNA expression, suggesting that ammonium is a significant environmental factor shaping abundance of AOA and AOB. T-RFLP results indicated that the impacts of salinity and ammonium levels were different among AOA species. Although further study is necessary to add significance to our findings, the combination of the short-term mini-CSTR operations and amoA mRNA-based analyses allow a preliminary study on the influences of environmental factors on competition between the AOA and AOB communities.

Low‐ammonia niche of ammonia‐oxidizing archaea in rotating biological contactors of a municipal wastewater treatment plant

The first step of nitrification is catalysed by both ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), but physicochemical controls on the relative abundance and function of these two groups are not yet fully understood, especially in freshwater environments. This study investigated ammonia-oxidizing populations in nitrifying rotating biological contactors (RBCs) from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Individual RBC stages are arranged in series, with nitrification at each stage creating an ammonia gradient along the flowpath. This RBC system provides a valuable experimental system for testing the hypothesis that ammonia concentration determines the relative abundance of AOA and AOB. The results demonstrate that AOA increased as ammonium decreased across the RBC flowpath, as indicated by qPCR for thaumarchaeal amoA and 16S rRNA genes, and core lipid (CL) and intact polar lipid (IPL) crenarchaeol abundances. Overall, there was a negative logarithmic relationship (R2 = 0.51) between ammonium concentration and the relative abundance of AOA amoA genes. A single AOA population was detected in the RBC biofilms; this phylotype shared low amoA and 16S rRNA gene homology with existing AOA cultures and enrichments. These results provide evidence that ammonia availability influences the relative abundances of AOA and AOB, and that AOA are abundant in some municipal wastewater treatment systems.

Phylogenetic diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in biofilters of recirculating aquaculture systems

We constructed ammonia monooxygenase alpha subunit (amoA) gene clone libraries of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) from three biofiltration tanks used for closed marine fish culture systems. The number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) found in any one place was 76%–80% of the total OTUs in each tank for AOA and 100% for AOB when OUTs were defined on the basis of a 5% nucleotide difference. In a phylogenetic tree, all of the AOA amoA sequences fell into a cluster, which contained Candidatus Nitrosopumilus maritimus. All of the AOB amoA sequences were related to the Nitrosospira lineage. These results indicated that different ammonia oxidizers were present in different tanks, but that the dominant phylogenetic types were stable. In a biofiltration tank to which a high concentration of ammonium chloride was added periodically to condition the biofilter materials, most of the AOA amoA sequences were different from the dominant one observed in the fish culture tanks. The AOB amoA sequences were also different, and were similar to those of Nitrosomonas aestuarii. These findings suggest that high concentration ammonia loads have a considerable affect on ammonia-oxidizer community composition.

Impact of Fungicides on the Diversity and Function of Non-target Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms Residing in a Litter Soil Cover

Litter soil cover constitutes an important micro-ecosystem in sustainable viticulture having a key role in nutrient cycling and serving as a habitat of complex microbial communities. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are known to regulate nitrification in soil while little is known regarding their function and diversity in litter. We investigated the effects of two fungicides, penconazole and cyprodinil, commonly used in vineyards, on the function and diversity of total and active AOB and AOA in a microcosm study. Functional changes measured via potential nitrification and structural changes assessed via denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) at the DNA and RNA levels were contrasted with pesticide dissipation in the litter layer. The latter was inversely correlated with potential nitrification, which was temporarily inhibited at the initial sampling dates (0 to 21 days) when nearly 100 % of the applied pesticide amounts was still present in the litter. Fungicides induced changes in AOB and AOA communities with RNA-DGGE analysis showing a higher sensitivity. AOA were more responsive to pesticide application compared to AOB. Potential nitrification was less sensitive to the fungicides and was restored faster than structural changes, which persisted. These results support the theory of microbial redundancy for nitrification in a stressed litter environment.

Abundance and community structure of ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea in a Sweden boreal forest soil under 19-year fertilization and 12-year warming

Purpose Boreal forests are considered to be more sensitive to global climate change compared with other terrestrial ecosystems, but the long-term impact of climate change and forest management on soil microbial functional diversity is not well understood. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are the most important players in nitrogen (N) cycling-associated processes in terrestrial ecosystems. This study investigated the separate and combined impacts of long-term soil warming and fertilization on soil AOB and AOA community structures and abundances in a Norway spruce stand in northern Sweden.

Lower Abundance of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea Than Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria Detected in the Subsurface Sediments of the Northern South China Sea

Diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) in samples of the northern South China Sea subsurface sediment were assessed by analyzing the amoA gene sequences retrieved from the samples. The microbial diversity was assessed using rarefaction and phylogenetic analyses. The deep-sea subsurface sediments harbored diverse and distinct AOA and AOB communities, but the abundance of AOA was lower than that of AOB, consistent with many other studies about bacteria and archaea in subsurface sediments. Diversity of AOA shown in the OTUs and Shannon index was correlated with the concentration of nitrite in the Pearson analysis, but no obvious relationships between the diversity or abundance of AOB and the physicochemical parameters could be identified in the present study, indicating the concentration of ammonium may not be an important factor to determine the diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes in the subsurface sediments. Additionally, Nitrosomonas-like AOB was found to be dominant in subsurface sediments of the northern South China Sea showing a different adaption strategy comparing with some Nitrosospira-like AOB lineages. Concentration of nitrite was correlated with diversity of AOA, but no correlations between diversity and abundance of AOB and the physicochemical parameters were established in the study. Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Geomicrobiology Journal to view the free supplemental files.

Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria Rather than Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea were Widely Distributed in Animal Manure Composts from Field-Scale Facilities

The distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) in cattle, swine, and chicken manure compost was analyzed. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that a Candidatus Nitrososphaera gargensis-like sequence dominated in cattle manure compost, while few AOA were detected in other composts. In the case of AOB, Nitrosomonas-like sequences were detected with higher diversity in cattle and swine manure composts. The relative abundance of ammonia oxidizers by real-time PCR revealed that more AOB was present in compost except in one swine manure compost. Our results indicated that AOB rather than AOA are widely distributed in animal manure compost.

Comparison of water availability effect on ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in microcosms of a Chilean semiarid soil

Water availability is the main limiting factor in arid soils; however, few studies have examined the effects of drying and rewetting on nitrifiers from these environments. The effect of water availability on the diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) from a semiarid soil of the Chilean sclerophyllous matorral was determined by microcosm assays. The addition of water every 14 days to reach 60% of the WHC significantly increased nitrate content in rewetted soil microcosms (p < 0.001). This stimulation of net nitrification by water addition was inhibited by acetylene addition at 100 Pa. The composition of AOA and AOB assemblages from the soils microcosms was determined by clone sequencing of amoA genes (A-amoA and B-amoA, respectively), and the 16S rRNA genes specific for β-proteobacteria (beta-amo). Sequencing of beta-amo genes has revealed representatives of Nitrosomonas and Nitrosospira while B-amoA clones consisted only of Nitrosospira sequences. Furthermore, all clones from the archaeal amoA gene library (A-amoA) were related to “mesophilic Crenarchaeota” sequences (actually, reclassified as the phylum Thaumarchaeota). The effect of water availability on both microbial assemblages structure was determined by T-RFLP profiles using the genetic markers amoA for archaea, and beta-amo for bacteria. While AOA showed fluctuations in some T-RFs, AOB structure remained unchanged by water pulses. The relative abundance of AOA and AOB was estimated by the Most Probable Number coupled to Polymerase Chain Reaction (MPN-PCR) assay. AOB was the predominant guild in this soil and higher soil water content did not affect their abundance, in contrast to AOA, which slightly increased under these conditions. Therefore, these results suggest that water addition to these semiarid soil microcosms could favor archaeal contribution to ammonium oxidation.

Links among Nitrification, Nitrifier Communities, and Edaphic Properties in Contrasting Soils Receiving Dairy Slurry

Soil biotic and abiotic factors strongly influence nitrogen (N) availability and increases in nitrification rates associated with the application of manure. In this study, we examine the effects of edaphic properties and a dairy (Bos taurus) slurry amendment on N availability, nitrification rates and nitrifier communities. Soils of variable texture and clay mineralogy were collected from six USDA-ARS research sites and incubated for 28 d with and without dairy slurry applied at a rate of ~300 kg N ha(-1). Periodically, subsamples were removed for analyses of 2 M KCl extractable N and nitrification potential, as well as gene copy numbers of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA). Spearman coefficients for nitrification potentials and AOB copy number were positively correlated with total soil C, total soil N, cation exchange capacity, and clay mineralogy in treatments with and without slurry application. Our data show that the quantity and type of clay minerals present in a soil affect nitrifier populations, nitrification rates, and the release of inorganic N. Nitrogen mineralization, nitrification potentials, and edaphic properties were positively correlated with AOB gene copy numbers. On average, AOA gene copy numbers were an order of magnitude lower than those of AOB across the six soils and did not increase with slurry application. Our research suggests that the two nitrifier communities overlap but have different optimum environmental conditions for growth and activity that are partly determined by the interaction of manure-derived ammonium with soil properties.

Distribution of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea and Bacteria in the Surface Sediments of Matsushima Bay in Relation to Environmental Variables

Ammonia oxidization is the first and a rate-limiting step of nitrification, which is often a critical process in nitrogen removal from estuarine and coastal environments. To clarify the correlation of environmental conditions with the distribution of ammonia oxidizers in organic matter-rich coastal sediments, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) ammonia monooxygenase alpha subunit gene (amoA) abundance was determined in sediments of Matsushima Bay located in northeast Japan. The AOA and AOB amoA copy numbers ranged from 1.1×106 to 1.7×107 and from 7.1×105 to 7.6×106 copies g−1 sediment, respectively. AOA and AOB amoA abundance was negatively correlated with dissolved oxygen levels in the bottom water. AOA amoA abundance was also correlated with total phosphorus levels in the sediments. On the other hand, no significant relationship was observed between the amoA abundance and ammonium, organic matter (ignition loss), or acid volatile sulfide-sulfur levels in the sediments. These results show the heterogeneous distribution of ammonia oxidizers by the difference in environmental conditions within the bay. Moreover, AOA amoA diversity was relatively low in the area of high AOA amoA abundance, suggesting the variability of AOA community composition.

Abundance and community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in a temperate forest ecosystem under ten-years elevated CO 2

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are considered as the key drivers of global nitrogen (N) biogeochemical cycling. Responses of the associated microorganisms to global changes remain unclear. This study was to determine if there was a shift in soil AOB and AOA abundances and community structures under free-air carbon dioxide (CO 2) enrichment (FACE) and N fertilization in Duke Forest of North Carolina, by using DNA-based molecular techniques, i.e., quantitative PCR, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and clone library. The N fertilization alone increased the abundance of bacterial amoA gene, but this effect was not observed under elevated CO 2 condition. There was no significant effect of the N fertilization on the thaumarchaeal amoA gene abundance in the ambient CO 2 treatments, while such effect increased significantly under elevated CO 2. A total of 690 positive clones for AOA and 607 for AOB were selected for RFLP analysis. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that effects of CO 2 enrichment and N fertilization on the community structure of AOA and AOB were not significant. Canonical correspondence analysis also showed that soil pH rather than elevated CO 2 or N fertilization shaped the distribution of AOB and AOA genotypes. A negative linear relationship between the δ 13C and archaeal amoA gene abundance indicated a positive effect of elevated CO 2 on the growth ammonia oxidizing archaea. On the other hand, the community structures of AOB and AOA are determined by the soil niche properties rather than elevated CO 2 and N fertilization.

Abundance and composition of epiphytic bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers of marine red and brown macroalgae.

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are important for nitrogen cycling in marine ecosystems. Little is known about the diversity and abundance of these organisms on the surface of marine macroalgae, despite the algae's potential importance to create surfaces and local oxygen-rich environments supporting ammonia oxidation at depths with low dissolved oxygen levels. We determined the abundance and composition of the epiphytic bacterial and archaeal ammonia-oxidizing communities on three species of macroalgae, Osmundaria volubilis, Phyllophora crispa, and Laminaria rodriguezii, from the Balearic Islands (western Mediterranean Sea). Quantitative PCR of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA and amoA genes was performed. In contrast to what has been shown for most other marine environments, the macroalgae's surfaces were dominated by bacterial amoA genes rather than those from the archaeal counterpart. On the basis of the sequences retrieved from AOB and AOA amoA gene clone libraries from each algal species, the bacterial ammonia-oxidizing communities were related to Nitrosospira spp. and to Nitrosomonas europaea and only 6 out of 15 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were specific for the host species. Conversely, the AOA diversity was higher (43 OTUs) and algal species specific, with 17 OTUs specific for L. rodriguezii, 3 for O. volubilis, and 9 for P. crispa. Altogether, the results suggest that marine macroalgae may exert an ecological niche for AOB in marine environments, potentially through specific microbe-host interactions.

Environmental factors determining ammonia‐oxidizing organism distribution and diversity in marine environments

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) play a vital role in bridging the input of fixed nitrogen, through N-fixation and remineralization, to its loss by denitrification and anammox. Yet the major environmental factors determining AOB and AOA population dynamics are little understood, despite both groups having a wide environmental distribution. This study examined the relative abundance of both groups of ammonia-oxidizing organisms (AOO) and the diversity of AOA across large-scale gradients in temperature, salinity and substrate concentration and dissolved oxygen. The relative abundance of AOB and AOA varied across environments, with AOB dominating in the freshwater region of the Chesapeake Bay and AOA more abundant in the water column of the coastal and open ocean. The highest abundance of the AOA amoA gene was recorded in the oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) of the Eastern Tropical South Pacific (ETSP) and the Arabian Sea (AS). The ratio of AOA : AOB varied from 0.7 in the Chesapeake Bay to 1600 in the Sargasso Sea. Relative abundance of both groups strongly correlated with ammonium concentrations. AOA diversity, as determined by phylogenetic analysis of clone library sequences and archetype analysis from a functional gene DNA microarray, detected broad phylogenetic differences across the study sites. However, phylogenetic diversity within physicochemically congruent stations was more similar than would be expected by chance. This suggests that the prevailing geochemistry, rather than localized dispersal, is the major driving factor determining OTU distribution.