Spatiotemporal dynamics of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria contributing to nitrification in sediments from Bohai Sea and South Yellow Sea, China

Mingyue Li; Hui He; Tiezhu Mi; Yu Zhen

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153972

Spatiotemporal dynamics of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria contributing to nitrification in sediments from Bohai Sea and South Yellow Sea, China

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Jun 15:825:153972. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153972. Epub 2022 Feb 18.

Authors

Mingyue Li¹, Hui He², Tiezhu Mi³, Yu Zhen⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255049, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China,; Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China.
² College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
³ Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China,; Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China,; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China.
⁴ Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China,; Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China,; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China. Electronic address: zhenyu@ouc.edu.cn.

PMID: 35189237
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153972

Abstract

Nitrification is a central process in nitrogen cycle in the ocean. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) play significant roles in ammonia oxidation which is the first and rate-limiting step in nitrification, and their differential contribution to nitrification is an important issue, attracting extensive attention. In this study, based on the quantification of archaeal and bacterial amoA gene and the measurement of potential nitrification rate (PNR), we investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics of PNRs and the amoA gene abundance and transcript abundance of aerobic ammonia oxidizers in surface sediments collected in summer and spring across ~900 km of the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea in China. The results revealed that the contribution of AOA to nitrification was greater than that of AOB in coastal sediments, probably due to salinity and ammonia concentration. Besides, seasons had significant effect on amoA gene abundance and transcript abundance, especially for AOA, while both seasons and sea areas had significant influence on PNR of AOA and AOB. Further analysis showed complex relationships among amoA gene abundances, transcript abundances and PNRs. More importantly, both spatial (geographic distance) and environmental factors were vital in explaining the variations of ammonia-oxidizing microorganism abundances and the PNRs.

Keywords: Ammonia-oxidizing archaea; Bohai Sea; Marine sediment; Potential nitrification rates; Yellow Sea; ammonia-oxidizing bacteria.

MeSH terms

Ammonia*
Archaea* / genetics
Bacteria / genetics
China
Geologic Sediments / microbiology
Nitrification
Oxidation-Reduction
Phylogeny
Soil Microbiology

Substances

Ammonia