Nitrogen fertilisation of agricultural soil contributes significantly to emissions of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N O), which is generated during denitrification and, in oxic soils, mainly by ammonia oxidisers. Although laboratory cultures of ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) produce N O, their relative activities in soil are unknown. This work tested the hypothesis that AOB dominate ammonia oxidation and N O production under conditions of high inorganic ammonia (NH ) input, but result mainly from the activity of AOA when NH is derived from mineralisation. 1-octyne, a recently discovered inhibitor of AOB, was used to distinguish N O production resulting from archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidation in soil microcosms, and specifically inhibited AOB growth, activity and N O production. In unamended soils, ammonia oxidation and N O production were lower and resulted mainly from ammonia oxidation by AOA. The AOA N O yield relative to nitrite produced was half that of AOB, likely due to additional enzymatic mechanisms in the latter, but ammonia oxidation and N O production were directly linked in all treatments. Relative contributions of AOA and AOB to N O production, therefore, reflect their respective contributions to ammonia oxidation. These results suggest potential mitigation strategies for N O emissions from fertilised agricultural soils.
High and low rates of ammonium supply are believed to favour ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), respectively. Although their contrasting affinities for ammonium are suggested to account for these differences, the influence of ammonia concentration on AOA and AOB has not been tested under environmental conditions. In addition, while both AOB and AOA contribute to nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soil, N2O yields (N2O–N produced per NO2−–N generated from ammonia oxidation) of AOA are lower, suggesting lower emissions when AOA dominate ammonia oxidation. This study tested the hypothesis that ammonium supplied continuously at low rates is preferentially oxidised by AOA, with lower N2O yield than expected for AOB-dominated processes. Soil microcosms were supplied with water, urea or a slow release, urea-based fertiliser and 1-octyne (inhibiting only AOB) was applied to distinguish AOA and AOB activity and associated N2O production. Low ammonium supply, from mineralisation of organic matter, or of the fertiliser, led to growth, ammonia oxidation and N2O production by AOA only, with low N2O yield. High ammonium supply, from free urea within the fertiliser or after urea addition, led to growth of both groups, but AOB-dominated ammonia oxidation was associated with twofold greater N2O yield than that dominated by AOA. This study therefore demonstrates growth of both AOA and AOB at high ammonium concentration, confirms AOA dominance during low ammonium supply and suggests that slow release or organic fertilisers potentially mitigate N2O emissions through differences in niche specialisation and N2O production mechanisms in AOA and AOB.
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