集约种植雷竹林土壤细菌群落结构的演变及其影响因素

应用PCR-DGGE技术研究了雷竹林种植过程中土壤细菌群落结构的变化,并运用冗余分析（RDA）手段提取雷竹林土壤细菌群落多样性的干扰控制因子.结果表明：水稻田改种雷竹后,土壤细菌群落的Shannon指数及丰富度指数均显著增加;长期的集约种植过程对雷竹林土壤细菌群落结构产生了影响,主要细菌种群发生了变化,多样性指数表现为先增加、后期大幅降低的趋势.RDA分析表明,土壤pH、总氮、碱解氮以及速效钾这4个变量能够解释高达76.1%的样本总变异,其中土壤pH对细菌群落结构影响最大,但未达到显著水平,表明长期集约种植的雷竹林土壤细菌群落结构的变化是多种环境因子共同作用的结果.     

亚热带不同林分土壤氨氧化菌群落特征

为揭示亚热带不同森林类型对土壤氨氧化菌群落特征的影响,采用荧光定量PCR以及PCR-DGGE技术研究了阔叶林、杉木林、马尾松林和毛竹林土壤氨氧化古菌和细菌丰度及古菌群落结构特征.结果表明:不同林分土壤中氨氧化古菌数量(1.62×106~1.88×107个·g-1干土)高于相应土壤中的氨氧化细菌(2.41×105~4.36×105个·g-1干土);毛竹林土壤氨氧化古菌数量显著高于杉木林,而后者又显著高于阔叶林和马尾松林,但氨氧化细菌数量在不同林分之间没有显著差异.DGGE图谱分析表明,不同林分土壤中氨氧化古菌的物种有所差异,且毛竹林和杉木林土壤古菌群落结构迥异.氨氧化古菌在亚热带主要林分土壤中表现出明显优势,且除植被类型外,土壤速效钾、pH和有机质是引起土壤氨氧化古菌群落结构及多样性变异的主要因素.     

褐煤腐植酸对土壤氨氧化古菌群落结构的影响

【目的】研究腐植酸(HA)对土壤氨氧化古菌(AOA)的影响,进而探讨HA对土壤氮循环的作用。【方法】采用末端标记限制性多态性分析(T-RFLP)和实时定量PCR技术,研究了两种腐植酸(原生腐植酸-cHA和降解后的腐植酸-bHA)与尿素一同施加于土壤中的氨氧化古菌(AOA)和古菌的群落结构及数量的变化。【结果】只加尿素的处理AOA数量明显增加,其群落结构也发生明显变化,而加入尿素和两种腐植酸(HA)的处理土壤中,AOA数量增加得到明显的抑制,且典范对应分析(canonical correspondence analysis,CCA)表明尿素是影响AOA群落结构的最大因素,而HA可以缓冲尿素对AOA群落结构的影响,从而可以稳定AOA的群落结构。只加入尿素的处理还导致了古菌数量降低,而两种HA均抑制古菌数量的降低,表明HA可以缓冲尿素对古菌的影响。CCA分析表明时间是影响古菌群落结构的最重要因素,将时间作为共变量的部分典范对应分析(partial canonical correspondence analysis,pCCA)表明除时间外古菌的群落结构对cHA也比较敏感。【结论】这些结果表明HA通过抑制AOA数量而调控其与植物竞争氨来减少氨的损失,从而提高尿素利用率。     

风干土壤中氨氧化微生物的恢复

【目的】比较历史风干土壤与加水恢复培养土壤中氨氧化古菌AOA和细菌AOB的组成与数量差异,探究风干土壤用于后续微生物生理生态学研究的可能性;明确我国典型酸性森林土壤中,海洋类Group 1.1a是否为数量上占据优势的古菌AOA生态型。【方法】针对中国生态系统研究网络10个台站的典型森林土壤样品,围绕风干保存和加水培养两种处理,通过高通量测序土壤氨氧化古菌及细菌amoA标靶基因,分析氨氧化微生物群落组成的变化规律;利用实时荧光定量PCR和DGGE指纹图谱技术,研究森林土壤微生物群落16S rRNA基因的数量变化规律,以及氨氧化细菌和古菌群落结构的差异。【结果】10个历史风干土壤加水培养28天后,土壤细菌和古菌数量均急剧增加,最高可达3230倍和568倍;其中8个土壤中氨氧化古菌AOA明显增加,5个土壤中氨氧化细菌AOB表现出明显的增加趋势。然而,高通量测序和系统发育分析表明,历史风干土壤与加水恢复培养土壤中AOA和AOB的群落组成无明显变化。Group 1.1b是氨氧化古菌的优势类群,而氨氧化细菌的主要类群是Nitrosospira螺菌属。氨氧化古菌和细菌的比例与总氮浓度呈显著正相关(r2=0.54,P0.05),表明酸性条件下土壤矿化并提供铵态氮底物可能是古菌氨氧化的驱动机制。【结论】风干土壤加水恢复培养后,AOA和AOB的种群数量大多出现增加的趋势,但其物种组成未发生显著变化,表明风干保存的土壤样品可用于后续室内培养,开展微生物生理生态学研究。与已有的海洋AOA生态型主导酸性土壤氨氧化类群的报道不同,土壤Group 1.1b是本研究森林土壤中的优势类群。     

三峡库区消落带周期性淹水-落干对硝化微生物生态过程的影响

【目的】明确三峡库区消落带周期性淹水-落干对土壤硝化过程及功能微生物的影响。【方法】在重庆段万州、丰都和长寿3个典型消落带区域,分别采集淹水-落干8次、淹水-落干5次、淹水-落干0次土壤样品,通过室内培养分析土壤硝化作用强度;利用实时荧光定量PCR研究不同淹水-落干周期土壤氨氧化古菌和细菌的数量变化规律;采用DGGE分子指纹图谱和克隆文库技术研究土壤氨氧化古菌和细菌的群落组成差异。【结果】万州、丰都和长寿3个消落带中,土壤有机质和pH含量随淹水-落干次数的增加而增加;除长寿消落带外,土壤硝化强度也随着淹水-落干次数的增加而增强;随着硝化作用的发生,氨氧化古菌和细菌数量呈上升趋势,DGGE条带数量、位置和亮度均发生明显变化;氨氧化功能基因amoA的系统发育分析表明:万州和丰都消落带氨氧化古菌均属于土壤类古菌Group 1.1b;而长寿消落带则检测到少量的海洋类古菌Group 1.1a;3个消落带的优势氨氧化细菌均属于Nitrosospira和Cluster 0类群。【结论】三峡库区独特的"冬蓄夏泄"管理方式,导致淹水-落干8次的土壤经历了周期性的淹水-落干水分胁迫,提升了土壤有机质含量和pH,增加了土壤硝化作用强度,并可能改变了土壤硝化微生物群落结构。     

林地覆盖对雷竹林土壤碳氮磷化学计量特征的影响

林地覆盖措施可明显促进雷竹笋芽提早萌发,显著提高竹林经济效益,但长期连年覆盖会导致雷竹林退化为雷竹林。对不同覆盖年限(1、3、6 a)雷竹林和不覆盖雷竹林土壤C、N、P含量和化学计量比及相关性进行了研究。结果表明:不同覆盖年限雷竹林和不覆盖雷竹林土壤C、N、P含量均随土壤深度的增加而极显著降低。不同土层土壤C、N、P含量不同覆盖年限雷竹林极显著地高于不覆盖雷竹林。随覆盖年限的延长,雷竹林0～20 cm土壤C、N含量极显著提高。覆盖1 、3 a雷竹林和不覆盖雷竹林0～50 cm土壤P含量和20～50 cm土壤C、N含量差异均不显著,均显著地低于覆盖6 a雷竹林土壤。不同覆盖年限雷竹林各土层土壤C:N差异不显著,而C:P、N:P随覆盖年限的延长呈升高趋势。随覆盖年限的延长,土壤C、N、P间正相关关系减弱,C与N、P协同变化速率降低。研究表明:雷竹鞭根系统主要分布区0～20 cm土壤养分过量积累及引起的土壤养分失衡是林地覆盖雷竹林退化的主要原因。应实行轮闲覆盖和测土配方平衡施肥,并在雷竹自然出笋开始时(3月上旬)及时撤除有机覆盖物。为雷竹林可持续经营提供理论依据。     

林地覆盖对雷竹林土壤微生物特征及其与土壤养分制约性关系的影响

为了探讨林地覆盖雷竹林退化机理,给退化雷竹林恢复提供理论参考,对不同覆盖年限(CK、1、3 a 和6 a) 雷竹林土壤微生物区系组成和生物量碳(C_mic)、氮(N_mic)、磷(P_mic)等特征因子进行了测定,并分析了其与土壤养分的制约性关系。结果表明:(1) 雷竹林土壤微生物以细菌为主,真菌次之,放线菌最少,分别占土壤微生物总量的90.11%-98.03%、1.04%-9.22%和0.67%-1.37%。随覆盖年限增加,细菌、放线菌比率呈下降趋势,真菌比率呈上升趋势;土壤微生物总数、细菌和放线菌数量及C_mic、N_mic、P_mic均呈先升高后降低的变化趋势,试验雷竹林间差异极显著,真菌数量总体呈极显著升高趋势。(2)雷竹林土壤微生物特征因子与土壤有机质(SOM)、全氮(TN)、全磷(TP)、碱解氮(Available nitrogen, AN)和pH均呈显著或极显著相关,其中,CK和覆盖1 a、3 a雷竹林土壤微生物特征因子与土壤养分主要呈正相关,与pH呈负相关,而覆盖6 a雷竹林则相反。(3)不同覆盖年限雷竹林土壤养分与土壤微生物的制约性关系存在一定的差异,CK雷竹林土壤SOM、TN、AN、速效钾(AK)和pH主要影响土壤C_mic、N_mic和细菌,覆盖1 a雷竹林土壤SOM、TN、TP和AK主要影响土壤P_mic、放线菌和细菌,覆盖3 a雷竹林土壤SOM、TN、速效磷(AP)和AN主要影响土壤N_mic、放线菌和真菌,覆盖6 a雷竹林土壤SOM、TN和pH主要影响土壤N_mic、真菌。研究表明:长期覆盖雷竹林土壤细菌、放线菌数量与比例明显降低,真菌数量与比例明显提高,土壤养分与土壤微生物的制约性作用关系会发生较为明显变化,产生土壤障害,这是覆盖雷竹林退化的主要原因之一。     

荒漠孑遗植物四合木对土壤古菌群落的影响

土壤是植物定居的场所,也是植物-微生物互作的重要界面。古菌是土壤微生物重要组份,在碳、氮、硫、铁等元素的生物地球化学循环和植物的生长发育、适应生境中发挥重要作用。植物定居对土壤古菌群落的影响研究鲜有开展,孑遗植物在研究植物-微生物-环境互作中具有独特的优势。采用扩增子高通量测序技术,研究以荒漠孑遗植物四合木为建群种或优势种的四合木-红砂-珍珠-针茅群落、四合木-针茅群落和四合木群落等三种荒漠植物群落类型中,四合木根区土壤和光板地土体土壤古菌群落特征,揭示四合木定居对土壤古菌物种数量、多样性、群落组成及功能的影响。结果表明,荒漠孑遗植物四合木定居不仅增加了根区土壤古菌的物种数量,提高了根区土壤古菌群落多样性,而且改变了土壤古菌群落组成,减少了奇古菌门Nitrososphaeraceae科未分类的属氨氧化古菌（unclassified_f_Nitrososphaeraceae）和暂定Nitrososphaera属氨氧化古菌（Candidatus Nitrososphaera）相对丰度,增加了Nitrososphaeraceae科暂定Nitrocosmicus属氨氧化古菌（Candidatus Nitrocosmicus）和广古菌门海洋古菌类群Ⅱ中未分类的属（norank_o_Marine_Group_II）相对丰度,广古菌门热原体纲未分类的属（unclassified_c__Thermoplasmata）相对丰度变化显著。植物群落演替对四合木根区土壤和光板地土体土壤古菌群落均无显著影响。Nitrososphaeraceae科氨氧化古菌是三种不同荒漠植物群落类型中土壤古菌的核心微生物组。四合木定居也显著改变土壤古菌群落的功能,减弱了高丰度功能,增强了低丰度功能,对有氧呼吸、核苷酸合成、氨基酸合成等途径影响显著。荒漠孑遗植物四合木定居改变了土壤古菌群落物种数量、多样性、组成、功能等特征。     

林地覆盖经营雷竹林叶片养分特征及其与土壤养分的关系

探讨了短期覆盖经营(覆盖1 a)、休养式覆盖经营(覆盖3 a 后休养3 a)、长期覆盖经营(覆盖6 a)和不覆盖雷竹林(CK)2年生立竹叶片养分含量、化学计量比和再吸收率及其与土壤养分的关系。结果表明：(1)短期和休养式覆盖经营促使雷竹叶片养分含量和再吸收率总体上提高,而长期覆盖经营对雷竹叶片 P 含量和N、K 再吸收率会产生较为明显的影响,叶片 P 含量、N 再吸收率显著升高,K 再吸收率降低;(2)短期和休养式覆盖经营对雷竹林土壤、叶片养分化学计量比影响不明显,但长期覆盖经营使雷竹林土壤、叶片 N∶P、K∶P 显著降低;(3)短期覆盖经营能增强雷竹林土壤养分与叶片的养分含量、化学计量比和养分再吸收率的相关性,但随覆盖经营年限的延长,相关性总体上呈减弱趋势;(4)土壤养分含量及其平衡关系对林地覆盖经营雷竹林叶片养分特征影响明显;(5)长期覆盖经营雷竹林土壤、叶片养分间相关性明显减弱,竹子吸收利用养分的能力下降,生产中应实行雷竹林休养式覆盖经营方式。研究结果为林地覆盖经营雷竹林的可持续发展提供了理论参考。     

长期施加氮肥及氧化钙调节对酸性土壤硝化作用及氨氧化微生物的影响

以长期施加氮肥及添加氧化钙调节的酸性土壤为研究对象,运用定量PCR和DGGE技术,探讨了土壤氨氧化微生物及硝化作用对不同施肥处理及氧化钙调节的响应。长期施化学氮肥导致酸性土壤p H(KCl)值(3.35—3.47)和硝化潜势(0.02—0.14μg NO-2-N g-1土壤h-1)进一步降低,而添加Ca O后土壤酸化得以缓解(p H值4.10—4.46),土壤硝化潜势(0.22—0.34μg NO-2-N g-1土h-1)显著增加。同时,添加Ca O处理对氨氧化古菌(AOA)的群落结构无明显影响,但明显提高了各施肥处理土壤中氨氧化细菌(AOB)的群落多样性,加Ca O处理的土壤中,AOA的数量降低而AOB的数量增加。这些结果表明虽然酸性土壤中AOA在数量和活性上占主导优势,AOB在功能上冗余,但当添加Ca O后,AOA和AOB对环境变化迅速作出响应,并根据其不同的生态位需求重新分配优势地位,二者交替作用共同驱动酸性土壤硝化作用。     

Population Size and Nitrification Activity of Soil Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria in Long-Term Intensive Managed <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phyllostachys praecox</Emphasis> Stands

High rate of fertilization and heavy winter mulch have been a common practice to gain a good yield in Phyllostachys praecox stands, but the long-term impact of this intensive management on soil ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) is largely unknown. Population size of soil AOB was quantified by real-time PCR in Phyllostachys praecox stands with different intensive management history. AOB population sizes and nitrification activities in intensive managed bamboo stands were significantly higher than that of the control. However, both soil AOB abundance and activity significantly decreased after long-term intensive management, and they correlated positively with soil mineral N and available potassium but negatively with soil pH. The results indicated that, although AOB activity and growth responded strongly to high rate of mineral fertilization during the first few years of intensive management, soil pH should be a dominant factor regulating the communities on a long-term basis.     

Higher Abundance of Ammonia Oxidizing Archaea than Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria and Their Communities in Tibetan Alpine Meadow Soils under Long-term Nitrogen Fertilization

Increasing usage of nitrogen fertilizer for food production has resulted in severely environmental problems of nutrients enrichment. This study aimed to examine the response of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) to a long-term nitrogen fertilization in Tibetan alpine meadow. The abundance and composition of both AOB and AOA were assessed using quantitative real-time PCR, cloning and sequencing techniques based on amoA gene under different fertilization gradient (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 g m^?2 year^?1). Our results showed that, abundances of AOA amoA genes (ranging from 1.48 × 10⁹ to 2.00 × 10⁹ copies per gram of dry soil) were significantly higher than those of AOB amoA genes (1.25 × 10⁷ to 2.62 × 10⁸ copies per gram of dry soil) under fertilization scenario. The abundance of AOB amoA genes increased with increasing nitrogen fertilization, whereas fertilization had little effect on AOA abundance. Sequences of clone libraries of the different treatments revealed that AOB communities were dominated by representatives of Cluster 4, constituting 48.94–64.44% in each clone library. Sequences of Clusters 9, 1 and 2 were prevalent in soils under higher fertilization. All archaeal amoA sequences recovered were affiliated with the soil/sediment clade and marine sediment clade, and no significant difference was observed on the community structure among different fertilization treatments. Variations in the AOB community structure and abundance were linked to ammonium-N and soil pH induced by different fertilization treatments. These results showed that the abundance and structure of the AOB community respond to the fertilization gradient, not AOA.     

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea have more important role than ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in ammonia oxidation of strongly acidic soils

Increasing evidence demonstrated the involvement of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in the global nitrogen cycle, but the relative contributions of AOA and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) to ammonia oxidation are still in debate. Previous studies suggest that AOA would be more adapted to ammonia-limited oligotrophic conditions, which seems to be favored by protonation of ammonia, turning into ammonium in low-pH environments. Here, we investigated the autotrophic nitrification activity of AOA and AOB in five strongly acidic soils (pH<4.50) during microcosm incubation for 30 days. Significantly positive correlations between nitrate concentration and amoA gene abundance of AOA, but not of AOB, were observed during the active nitrification. ¹³CO₂-DNA-stable isotope probing results showed significant assimilation of ¹³C-labeled carbon source into the amoA gene of AOA, but not of AOB, in one of the selected soil samples. High levels of thaumarchaeal amoA gene abundance were observed during the active nitrification, coupled with increasing intensity of two denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis bands for specific thaumarchaeal community. Addition of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) completely inhibited the nitrification activity and CO₂ fixation by AOA, accompanied by decreasing thaumarchaeal amoA gene abundance. Bacterial amoA gene abundance decreased in all microcosms irrespective of DCD addition, and mostly showed no correlation with nitrate concentrations. Phylogenetic analysis of thaumarchaeal amoA gene and 16S rRNA gene revealed active ¹³CO₂-labeled AOA belonged to groups 1.1a-associated and 1.1b. Taken together, these results provided strong evidence that AOA have a more important role than AOB in autotrophic ammonia oxidation in strongly acidic soils.     

Autotrophic growth of nitrifying community in an agricultural soil

The two-step nitrification process is an integral part of the global nitrogen cycle, and it is accomplished by distinctly different nitrifiers. By combining DNA-based stable isotope probing (SIP) and high-throughput pyrosequencing, we present the molecular evidence for autotrophic growth of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in agricultural soil upon ammonium fertilization. Time-course incubation of SIP microcosms indicated that the amoA genes of AOB was increasingly labeled by ¹³CO₂ after incubation for 3, 7 and 28 days during active nitrification, whereas labeling of the AOA amoA gene was detected to a much lesser extent only after a 28-day incubation. Phylogenetic analysis of the ¹³C-labeled amoA and 16S rRNA genes revealed that the Nitrosospira cluster 3-like sequences dominate the active AOB community and that active AOA is affiliated with the moderately thermophilic Nitrososphaera gargensis from a hot spring. The higher relative frequency of Nitrospira-like NOB in the ¹³C-labeled DNA suggests that it may be more actively involved in nitrite oxidation than Nitrobacter-like NOB. Furthermore, the acetylene inhibition technique showed that ¹³CO₂ assimilation by AOB, AOA and NOB occurs only when ammonia oxidation is not blocked, which provides strong hints for the chemolithoautotrophy of nitrifying community in complex soil environments. These results show that the microbial community of AOB and NOB dominates the nitrification process in the agricultural soil tested.     

Nitrogen cycling and relationships between ammonia oxidizers and denitrifiers in a clay-loam soil

This study investigated the effect of municipal solid waste (MSW) compost (0, 50, and 100 t/ha) on N cycling and the microorganisms involved in it, in a clay-loam soil. After a release of nitrates (NO₃ ^?-N) in the first 6 days after compost incorporation, soil NO₃ ^?-N content remained constant in all the treatments until day?62, suggesting N immobilization induced by the soil used in this study. Then, soil NO₃ ^?-N content increased in all treatments and especially in the highest compost dose, providing evidence that immobilization effect has been at least partially relieved. amoA gene copies of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) followed the overall pattern of soil NO₃ ^?-N content; however, no differences were found in amoA gene copies among treatments, except in the last sampling, an effect attributed to the slight differences in the potential nitrification rate among them. Ammonia oxidizer pattern provided evidence that both groups were involved in ammonia oxidation and changes in their abundance can be used as ‘indicator’ to predict changes in soil nitrification status. Moreover, the strong correlation between AOA and AOB amoA copies (R ²?=?0.94) and the high slope (13) of the curve suggest that AOA had probably an important role on ammonia oxidation. Denitrifying genes (nirS, nirK, nosZ) also followed the general pattern of soil NO₃ ^?-N, and they were strongly correlated with both groups of ammonia oxidizers, and particularly AOA, suggesting strong interrelationships among them. Losses of N through denitrification, as they were estimated by total nitrogen, were inversely related to soil NO₃ ^?-N content. Similar to ammonia oxidizers, denitrifying gene copies did not differ among compost treatments an effect that could be probably explained by the low availability of organic-C in the MSW compost and hence the competition with aerobic heterotrophs.     

Diversity,abundance and expression of nitrite reductase (nirK)-like genes in marine thaumarchaea

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are widespread and abundant in aquatic and terrestrial habitats and appear to have a significant impact on the global nitrogen cycle. Like the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, AOA encode a gene homologous to copper-containing nitrite reductases (nirK), which has been studied very little to date. In this study, the diversity, abundance and expression of thaumarchaeal nirK genes from coastal and marine environments were investigated using two mutually excluding primer pairs, which amplify the nirK variants designated as AnirKa and AnirKb. Only the AnirKa variant could be detected in sediment samples from San Francisco Bay and these sequences grouped with the nirK from Candidatus Nitrosopumilus maritimus and Candidatus Nitrosoarchaeum limnia. The two nirK variants had contrasting distributions in the water column in Monterey Bay and the California Current. AnirKa was more abundant in the epi- to mesopelagic Monterey Bay water column, whereas AnirKb was more abundant in the meso- to bathypelagic California Current water. The abundance and community composition of AnirKb, but not AnirKa, followed that of thaumarchaeal amoA, suggesting that either AnirKa is not exclusively associated with AOA or that commonly used amoA primers may be missing a significant fraction of AOA diversity in the epipelagic. Interestingly, thaumarchaeal nirK was expressed 10–100-fold more than amoA in Monterey Bay. Overall, this study provides valuable new insights into the distribution, diversity, abundance and expression of this alternative molecular marker for AOA in the ocean.     

Community composition of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in rice field soil as affected by nitrogen fertilization

Little information is available on the ecology of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in flooded rice soils. Consequently, a microcosm experiment was conducted to determine the effect of nitrogen fertilizer on the composition of AOB and AOA communities in rice soil by using molecular analyses of ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA) fragments. Experimental treatments included three levels of N (urea) fertilizer, i.e. 50, 100 and 150 mg N kg⁻¹ soil. Soil samples were operationally divided into four fractions: surface soil, bulk soil deep layer, rhizosphere and washed root material. NH₄⁺-N was the dominant form of N in soil porewater and increased with N fertilization. Cloning and sequencing of amoA gene fragments showed that the AOB community in the rice soil consisted of three major groups, i.e. Nitrosomonas communis cluster, Nitrosospira cluster 3a and cluster 3b. The sequences related to Nitrosomonas were predominant. There was a clear effect of N fertilizer and soil depth on AOB community composition based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting. Nitrosomonas appeared to be more abundant in the potentially oxic or micro-oxic fractions, including surface soil, rhizosphere and washed root material, than the deep layer of anoxic bulk soil. Furthermore, Nitrosomonas increased relatively in the partially oxic fractions and that of Nitrosospira decreased with the increasing application of N fertilizer. However, AOA community composition remained unchanged according to the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analyses.     

Abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in a biological aerated filter process

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) represent an important group of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms that are able to convert ammonia to nitrite, a function which is crucial for the removal of nitrogen from wastewater. In this study, we investigated the abundance and diversity of AOA in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) which used a biological aerated filter (BAF) as the main processing mode. According to the quantitative PCR results, AOA clearly outnumbered ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) during the whole process. The abundance of AOA amoA genes in the filter layer of BAF was highest with the value varied from 6.32 × 10³ to 3.8 × 10⁴ copies/ng DNA. The highest abundance of AOB amoA genes was 1.32 × 10² copies/ng DNA, recorded in the effluent of the ACTIFLO® settling tank. The ratios of AOA/AOB in the WWTP were maintained at two or three orders of magnitude. Most AOA obtained from the WWTP fell within the Nitrosopumilus cluster. The abundance of AOA and AOB was significantly correlated with ammonium nitrogen concentrations and pH value. The community structure of AOA was significantly influenced by dissolved oxygen concentrations, pH value and chemical oxygen demand.