典型草原区不同生境反硝化菌群的空间特征

【背景】锡林河-河滨湿地-阶地草原是蒙古高原典型草原区代表性的水生-湿生-陆生生境,但不同生境中反硝化菌群的空间分布特征尚不明晰。【目的】阐明典型草原区不同生境反硝化菌群的组成、丰度、空间分布特征及异质性成因。【方法】利用16S rRNA基因测序研究锡林河流域水生、湿生、陆生生境6个样带沉积物/土壤细菌群落组成及相对丰度。基于2014年及以前文献报道的反硝化细菌及16S rRNA基因信息构建参比菌库,筛选生境关联的反硝化菌属。通过典范对应分析等探究反硝化菌群空间异质性成因。【结果】参比菌库包含80种反硝化细菌(65个属),6个样带测序获得的469个细菌属中36个为反硝化细菌属。3种生境共存的反硝化细菌有14个属,其中黄杆菌属(1.65%-14.17%)和噬氢菌属(1.56%-1.69%)是水生和湿生生境共有的优势菌,假单胞菌属(1.85%)是低河漫滩样带的优势菌。空间分布特征显示反硝化菌群沿水生-湿生-陆生生境呈现先升后降的分布趋势,在低河漫滩湿地达到最高值。典范对应分析表明:黄杆菌属、噬氢菌属、气单胞菌属、鞘氨醇单胞菌属等与pH值、水分及沙粒含量呈正相关关系,而芽孢杆菌属、链霉菌属、马杜拉放线菌属等与粘粒、粉粒、有机质、总氮含量等呈正相关关系。【结论】典型草原区反硝化菌群组成及丰度具有明显的生境异质性,低河漫滩湿地是反硝化细菌生长繁殖的最佳生境,由颗粒组成、水分含量和pH等环境因子共同驱动。     

功能基因在反硝化菌群生态学研究中的应用

具有反硝化功能的微生物分布非常广泛,与系统分化无关,因此16SrRNA不适合分析环境中的反硝化群落。目前,利用功能基因分析环境样品中的反硝化群落成为研究热点。本文介绍了反硝化过程的分子生物学基础,比较了环境样品中反硝化菌群落结构的分子生物学手段,简述了目前环境样品中反硝化菌群落研究的主要内容,并探讨了该领域研究的不足及展望。虽然到目前为止,群落结构和功能的关系还未建立,但反硝化菌群落的研究必将为应用反硝化菌解决环境问题提供基础数据。     

北京典型景观水体好氧反硝化菌组成特征

好氧反硝化菌对环境水体氮素的循环起到非常重要的作用。对北京市6个典型景观水体中好氧反硝化菌进行富集培养和分离,并开展菌株的16S rRNA基因测序和组成特征分析。结果表明,从6个水体中共富集分离得到80株好氧反硝化菌,均为变形菌门 (Proteobacteria),聚类于其3个纲(α-Proteobacteria、β-Proteobacteria、γ-Proteobacteria),分属于9个属,31个物种。其中90%左右的菌株具有良好的好氧反硝化能力,是水体进行生物脱氮修复的重要微生物基础。在不同景观水体中,好氧反硝化菌表现出较为明显的分布差异性和性能差异性,除了普遍存在的假单胞菌属（Pseudomonas）和不动杆菌属（Acinetobacter）外,每个水体基本都有属于自己的特异菌属,其中重要的特异菌属包括Alishewanella、Delftia、Hydrogenophaga和Rheinheimera,这对水体修复具有指导意义。     

一株好氧反硝化菌的分离鉴定及其除氮特性

【目的】生物除氮中反硝化菌具有重要的作用,需氧反硝化菌研究较少,有着很好的应用潜力,本研究主要从环境样品中分离具有高效去除铵氮和亚硝酸盐氮活性的好氧反硝化菌,并对其分类及除氮特性进行研究。【方法】以高效去除铵氮、除亚硝酸盐氮和好氧反硝化能力为主要指标,从富营养化的池塘淤泥水和工厂污泥样品中进行菌株分离筛选。通过生理生化特点以及16S rRNA序列分析对活性最好的菌株进行初步鉴定。在好氧条件下,分别以NO-3-N、NH+4-N和NO-2-N作为唯一氮源,考察菌株的好氧反硝化特性、去除铵氮和亚硝酸盐氮特性,以及不同初始pH值、温度、碳源、摇床转速对该菌去除铵氮和亚硝酸盐氮特性的影响。【结果】得到的细菌中,以菌株C-4的活性最好,其16S rRNA序列与不动杆菌的同源性达99%,结合生理生化特点,初步确定菌株C-4属于不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter sp.)。以柠檬酸钠作为碳源,30℃、120 r/min振荡培养,种龄为18 h,用初始pH为8.5的200 mg/L NH +4-N培养基和初始pH为7.5的100 mg/L NO -2-N培养基进行测定,分别培养15 h与12 h,净除氮率分别达到65.8%和47.8%。【结论】从鱼塘水样中分离到一株好氧反硝化菌C-4,初步鉴定为不动杆菌属的一个种(Acinetobacter sp.),具有较高的反硝化特性和高效去除铵氮与亚硝酸盐氮的能力,在处理实际池塘污水时中,净除氮率可达73.04%以上。     

耐盐好氧反硝化菌A-13菌株的分离鉴定及其反硝化特性

[目的]筛选高效好氧脱氮的反硝化细菌,对菌株进行多项鉴定及条件优化,为后续富营养化人工湖水体治理提供理论依据.[方法]利用反硝化培养基分离筛选好氧反硝化细菌,通过形态、生理生化、16S rRNA基因序列分析、周质硝酸还原酶亚基基因( napA)同源性分析进行菌株鉴定;通过反硝化培养基,对菌株生长及反硝化的最适pH、温度、碳源、溶解氧、接种量等进行了考察.[结果]从福州市闽侯县上街镇高岐村某排污口分离出1株耐盐高效好氧反硝化细菌A-13,多项鉴定表明该菌株为Pseudomonas stutzeri,与Pseudomonas stutzeri DSM 50283亲缘关系最近.菌株生长及反硝化的最适pH为6.5,最适温度为33℃,最适碳源为丁二酸钠,最适摇床转速为150 r/min,最适接种量为5％.在此条件下,最大可去除NO3-浓度约为1900 mg/L.该菌能够在高盐培养基( 10％ NaCl)中良好生长.对人工废水的净化效果表明,该菌具有一定的工程应用价值.[结论]分离所得好氧反硝化细菌为Pseudomonas stutzeri,将其命名为P.stutzeri YHA-13.具备高耐盐性的好氧反硝化功能的P.stutzeri未见报道.这对含盐废水/富营养化水体的工程应用有一定的潜在价值.     

反硝化除磷菌筛选及其特性研究

【目的】研究反硝化除磷菌特性。【方法】通过微生物筛选和生物学特性研究方法,从对虾养殖池塘中筛选出多株可在有氧条件下同时具有反硝化除磷功能的菌种。【结果】菌株LY-1可在18 h内将初始量为10 mg/L的亚硝酸盐氮降低至0.04 mg/L,PO43?-P降低至0.05 mg/L。在DO浓度为5.0?5.9 mg/L时,该菌反硝化除磷率近100%。试验选取具有反硝化除磷功能的枯草芽孢杆菌为阳性对照菌,大肠杆菌为阴性对照菌,比较研究了菌株LY-1在不同pH、温度、盐度、PO43?-P浓度、亚硝酸盐浓度时反硝化除磷的强弱,在pH为5?9范围时,该菌亚硝酸盐氮去除率近99%,PO43?-P去除率86%;温度为30°C时,该菌反硝化除磷率近100%;盐度为5‰?15‰、PO43?-P浓度为10 mg/L、亚硝酸盐氮浓度为20 mg/L时,该菌亚硝酸盐氮和PO43?-P去除率均可达99%。【结论】菌株LY-1反硝化除磷性能显著高于对照菌(P<0.05)。通过菌株LY-1形态学观察、生理生化及16S rRNA基因序列分析,初步鉴定为蜡样芽孢杆菌(Bacillus cereus)。     

分离于河口区芦苇湿地1株好氧反硝化菌的鉴定及其反硝化特性

【目的】筛选高效脱氮且N_2O释放量少的好氧反硝化细菌,并对菌株的反硝化特性进行研究,可为河口湿地富营养化水体的生物修复提供技术支撑。【方法】经BTB培养基初筛和反硝化能力测定,从辽河河口区芦苇湿地土壤中分离得到1株具有较高反硝化能力的好氧反硝化菌C3。经形态观察、生理生化鉴定和16S rRNA序列分析,对菌株进行鉴定。研究温度、碳源、pH及C/N对其生长量、反硝化能力及N2O释放的影响。【结果】筛选得到的高效好氧反硝化细菌C3,经鉴定属于假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas sp.)。反硝化特性研究结果表明,该菌最适碳源为柠檬酸三钠,在温度为30°C、pH为7.0、C/N为10时生长速率和脱氮效率最高且N_2O释放量较少。在此条件下,该菌在36 h内使NO_3~–由179.55 mg/L降至5.08 mg/L,脱氮率高达97.17%。该菌株在整个反硝化过程中中间产物N_2O的最大累积量较低,为0.22 mg/L。【结论】从湿地土壤中分离所得好氧反硝化菌C3为假单胞菌属的1个种(Pseudomonas sp.),该菌株在高效除氮和低N_2O累积方面均具有明显优势,对后续河口湿地富营养化水体治理具有重要意义。     

一株海洋好氧反硝化细菌的鉴定及其好氧反硝化特性

【目的】从处理海洋养殖循环水的生物滤器生物膜中分离到1株具有好氧反硝化活性的细菌(菌株2-8),并进一步研究了该菌的分类地位及反硝化特性。【方法】采用16S rRNA基因序列分析对菌株进行初步鉴定,采用好氧培养技术,探讨了碳源种类、起始pH、NaCl浓度、C/N、温度和摇床转速对菌株2-8好氧反硝化活性的影响。【结果】该菌株的16S rRNA基因序列与Pseudomonas segetis FR1439T(AY770691)的相似性最高,达到99.9%,因此初步鉴定菌株2-8属于假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas sp.2-8)。碳源类型和C/N对其好氧反硝化作用的影响最为显著,以柠檬酸钠为唯一碳源,C/N为15时脱氮效率最高,低C/N导致亚硝酸盐的积累;其好氧反硝化的最适温度和pH分别为30℃和7.5;菌株2-8在摇床转速为160r/min下脱氮效果最好;NaCl浓度对其反硝化活性的影响不明显。【结论】在初始硝酸氮浓度为140mg/L,以柠檬酸钠为唯一碳源、C/N为15、pH为7.5、NaCl浓度为30g/L,30℃以及160r/min摇床培养的条件下,菌株2-8在48h内脱氮率可达92%且无亚硝酸盐积累。     

珠江口自源有机颗粒物沉降对沉积物反硝化过程的影响

【摘要】由微生物主导、依赖有机物供给的反硝化过程是珠江口氮移除的主要途径之一, 可有效地将生态系统中的固定氮转化为N2 或N2O 释放到大气中。珠江口水体存在大量富含多糖和蛋白的生源有机颗粒物, 该类有机颗粒物沉降到底层, 影响反硝化过程的机制迄今尚不明确。通过培养实验, 分析了富含蛋白的中肋骨条藻(Skeletonema costatum)和多糖颗粒对珠江口沉积物反硝化速率和反硝化功能基因的影响。研究结果表明: 这两类有机物的添加能够刺激微生物矿化过程的发生, 16S rRNA丰度和反硝化过程有关的基因nosZ 与 nir S丰度显著提高, 矿化发生同时能够有效的为沉积物脱氮过程提供碳源与能量, 提高了反硝化速率。就有机质可利用性而言, 富含蛋白的中肋骨条藻和多糖的生物利用性存在差异, 在添加中肋骨条藻组中, 因有机质中蛋白含量高于多糖组, 有机质降解速率高于多糖组, 其可利用性高于多糖类有机质, 并且蛋白类物质矿化过程中产生的NH4+也比多糖组高, NH4+通过硝化作用转换为硝酸盐, 继续为反硝化过程提供硝酸盐, 因此添加中肋骨条藻组反硝化速率显著高于添加多糖组。总之水体中生源有机颗粒沉降促进了沉积物-水界面中氮移除过程, 并且这种促进作用与生源有机颗粒的可利用性呈正相关。     

耐碱反硝化菌株的分离鉴定与功能检测

【目的】分离获得耐碱反硝化菌株,确定其反硝化活性和耐碱能力。【方法】分离、纯化,获得耐碱反硝化菌株;通过形态观察、生理生化试验和16S rRNA基因测序分析,确定菌株分类地位;试验起始硝酸盐浓度和起始pH对分离菌株反硝化活性的影响。【结果】从实验室稳定运行的高效反硝化反应器中分离获得耐碱反硝化菌株R9,经鉴定归于Diaphorobater nitroreducens;菌株R9能够以甲醇为电子供体、硝酸盐为电子受体进行异养生长,当起始硝氮浓度为50 mg/L、起始pH为9.0时,288 h内硝氮去除率达93.25%;高浓度硝氮可抑制其反硝化活性,半抑制常数Ki为202.73 mg N/L;菌株R9的耐碱性良好,起始pH为11.0时的硝氮去除率是pH为9.0时的86%。【结论】菌株R9归于Diaphorobater nitroreducens,最适生长pH为9.0左右,是一株耐碱反硝化菌。     

Denitrifying bacteria in bulk and maize-rhizospheric soil: diversity and N2O-reducing abilities

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the rhizosphere of maize on the diversity of denitrifying bacteria. Community structure comparison was performed by constructing a collection of isolates recovered from bulk and maize planted soil. A total of 3240 nitrate-reducing isolates were obtained and 188 of these isolates were identified as denitrifiers based on their ability to reduce nitrate to N2O or N2. 16S rDNA fragments amplified from the denitrifying isolates were analysed by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Isolates were grouped according to their restriction patterns, and 16S rDNA of representatives from each group were sequenced. A plant dependent enrichment of Agrobacterium-related denitrifiers has been observed resulting in a modification of the structure of the denitrifying community between planted and bulk soil. In addition, the predominant isolates in the rhizosphere soil were not able to reduce N2O while dominant isolates in the bulk soil evolve N2 as a denitrification product.     

Phylogenetically Diverse Denitrifying and Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria in Corals Alcyonium gracillimum and Tubastraea coccinea

To date, the association of coral–bacteria and the ecological roles of bacterial symbionts in corals remain largely unknown. In particular, little is known about the community components of bacterial symbionts of corals involved in the process of denitrification and ammonia oxidation. In this study, the nitrite reductase (nirS and nirK) and ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) genes were used as functional markers. Diverse bacteria with the potential to be active as denitrifiers and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were found in two East China Sea corals: stony coral Alcyonium gracillimum and soft coral Tubastraea coccinea. The 16S rRNA gene library analysis demonstrated different communities of bacterial symbionts in these two corals of the same location. Nitrite reductase nirK gene was found only in T. coccinea, while both nirK and nirS genes were detected in A. gracillimum, which might be the result of the presence of different bacterial symbionts in these two corals. AOB rather than ammonia-oxidizing archaea were detected in both corals, suggesting that AOB might play an important role in the ammonia oxidation process of the corals. This study indicates that the coral bacterial symbionts with the potential for nitrite reduction and ammonia oxidation might have multiple ecological roles in the coral holobiont, which promotes our understanding of bacteria-mediated nitrogen cycling in corals. To our knowledge, this study is the first assessment of the community structure and phylogenetic diversity of denitrifying bacteria and AOB in corals based on nirK, nirS, and amoA gene library analysis.     

Persistence of Denitrifying Enzyme Activity in Dried Soils

The effects of air drying soil on denitrifying enzyme activity, denitrifier numbers, and rates of N gas loss from soil cores were measured. Only 29 and 16% of the initial denitrifying enzyme activity in fresh, near field capacity samples of Maury and Donerail soils, respectively, were lost after 7 days of air drying. The denitrifying activity of bacteria added to soil and activity recently formed in situ were not stable during drying. When dried and moist soil cores were irrigated, evolution of N gas began, and it maximized sooner in the dried cores. This suggests that the persistence of denitrifying enzymes permits accelerated denitrification when dried soils are remoistened. Enzyme activity increased significantly in these waterlogged cores, but fluctuations in enzyme activity were small compared with fluctuations in actual denitrification rate, and enzyme activities were always greater than denitrification rates. Apparent numbers of isolatable denitrifiers (most-probable-number counts) decreased more than enzyme activity as the soils were dried, but after the soils were rewetted, the extent of apparent growth was not consistently related to the magnitude of N loss. We hypothesize that activation-inactivation of existing enzymes by soil O₂ is of greater significance in transient denitrification events than is growth of denitrifiers or synthesis of new enzymes.     

贝壳砂改良土壤中反硝化细菌的分析

【目的】通过对一处经过长期使用贝壳砂进行改良的土壤中的反硝化细菌的多样性和细菌分离分析,研究该土壤中反硝化细菌的组成特征。【方法】采用454焦磷酸测序的方法分析了土壤样品中微生物群落的组成,选用Giltay培养基培养、鉴定从土壤中挑选的分离物的反硝化能力,并对具有反硝化能力的微生物进行了16S rRNA基因鉴定。【结果】该土壤样品中占据优势地位的为Proteobacteria、Acidobacteria、Bacteroidetes、Chloroflexi等门的微生物,属的水平上则有近70%尚未确立分类地位。所分离的细菌中,共得到12株厌氧条件下具有较高硝酸盐去除效率的微生物,分属Pseudomonas、Aeromonas、Serratia和Acinetobacter,均为γ变形菌纲的微生物。【结论】该土壤中具有较高的微生物多样性,包括很多未知类型的微生物和众多类型的反硝化细菌;分离到了11株具有反硝化能力的菌株,可用于该土壤的反硝化过程的进一步研究。     

Cultivation of Denitrifying Bacteria: Optimization of Isolation Conditions and Diversity Study

An evolutionary algorithm was applied to study the complex interactions between medium parameters and their effects on the isolation of denitrifying bacteria, both in number and in diversity. Growth media with a pH of 7 and a nitrogen concentration of 3 mM, supplemented with 1 ml of vitamin solution but not with sodium chloride or riboflavin, were the most successful for the isolation of denitrifiers from activated sludge. The use of ethanol or succinate as a carbon source and a molar C/N ratio of 2.5, 20, or 25 were also favorable. After testing of 60 different medium parameter combinations and comparison with each other as well as with the standard medium Trypticase soy agar supplemented with nitrate, three growth media were highly suitable for the cultivation of denitrifying bacteria. All evaluated isolation conditions were used to study the cultivable denitrifier diversity of activated sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. One hundred ninety-nine denitrifiers were isolated, the majority of which belonged to the Betaproteobacteria (50.4%) and the Alphaproteobacteria (36.8%). Representatives of Gammaproteobacteria (5.6%), Epsilonproteobacteria (2%), and Firmicutes (4%) and one isolate of the Bacteroidetes were also found. This study revealed a much more diverse denitrifying community than that previously described in cultivation-dependent research on activated sludge.     

Effect of Sulfadiazine on Abundance and Diversity of Denitrifying Bacteria by Determining nirK and nirS Genes in Two Arable Soils

Sulfadiazine (SDZ) is an antibiotic frequently used in agricultural husbandry. Via manuring of excrements of medicated animals, the drug reaches the soil and might impair important biochemical transformation processes performed by microbes, e.g., the nitrogen turnover. We studied the effect of pig manure and SDZ-spiked pig manure on denitrifying bacteria by quantifying nirK and nirS nitrite reductase genes in two arable soils. Addition of manure entailed mainly an increase of nirK-harboring denitrifiers in both soils, whereas in the SDZ-amended treatments, primarily the nirS denitrifiers increased in abundance after the bioavailable SDZ had declined. However, the community composition of nirS nitrite reducers investigated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis did not change despite the observed alterations in abundance.     

Assessment of denitrifying bacterial composition in activated sludge

The abundance and structure of denitrifying bacterial community in different activated sludge samples were assessed, where the abundance of denitrifying functional genes showed nirS in the range of 10(4)-10(5), nosZ with 10(4)-10(6) and 16S rRNA gene in the range 10(9)-10(10) copy number per ml of sludge. The culturable approach revealed Pseudomonas sp. and Alcaligenes sp. to be numerically high, whereas culture independent method showed betaproteobacteria to dominate the sludge samples. Comamonas sp. and Pseudomonas fluorescens isolates showed efficient denitrification, while Pseudomonas mendocina, Pseudomonas stutzeri and Brevundimonas diminuta accumulated nitrite during denitrification. Numerically dominant RFLP OTUs of the nosZ gene from the fertilizer factory sludge samples clustered with the known isolates of betaproteobacteria. The data also suggests the presence of different truncated denitrifiers with high numbers in sludge habitat.     

Denitrifying bacteria from the genus Rhodanobacter dominate bacterial communities in the highly contaminated subsurface of a nuclear legacy waste site

The effect of long-term mixed-waste contamination, particularly uranium and nitrate, on the microbial community in the terrestrial subsurface was investigated at the field scale at the Oak Ridge Integrated Field Research Challenge (ORIFRC) site in Oak Ridge, TN. The abundance, community composition, and distribution of groundwater microorganisms were examined across the site during two seasonal sampling events. At representative locations, subsurface sediment was also examined from two boreholes, one sampled from the most heavily contaminated area of the site and another from an area with low contamination. A suite of DNA- and RNA-based molecular tools were employed for community characterization, including quantitative PCR of rRNA and nitrite reductase genes, community composition fingerprinting analysis, and high-throughput pyrotag sequencing of rRNA genes. The results demonstrate that pH is a major driver of the subsurface microbial community structure and that denitrifying bacteria from the genus Rhodanobacter (class Gammaproteobacteria) dominate at low pH. The relative abundance of bacteria from this genus was positively correlated with lower-pH conditions, and these bacteria were abundant and active in the most highly contaminated areas. Other factors, such as the concentration of nitrogen species, oxygen level, and sampling season, did not appear to strongly influence the distribution of Rhodanobacter bacteria. The results indicate that these organisms are acid-tolerant denitrifiers, well suited to the acidic, nitrate-rich subsurface conditions, and pH is confirmed as a dominant driver of bacterial community structure in this contaminated subsurface environment.     

Isolation of functional single cells from environments using a micromanipulator: application to study denitrifying bacteria

We developed a novel method to isolate functionally active single cells from environmental samples and named it the functional single-cell (FSC) isolation method. This method is based on a combination of substrate-responsive direct viable counts, live-cell staining with 5-carboxyfluorescein diacetate acetoxymethyl ester, and micromanipulation followed by cultivation in a medium. To evaluate this method, we applied it to study a denitrifying community in rice paddy soil. Similar denitrifier counts were obtained by the conventional most probable number analysis and our FSC isolation method. Using the FSC isolation method, 37 denitrifying bacteria were isolated, some of which harbored copper-containing nitrite reductase gene (nirK). The 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that members belonging to the genera Azospirillum and Ochrobactrum may be the major denitrifiers in the rice paddy soil. These results indicate that the FSC isolation method is a useful tool to obtain functionally active single cells from environmental samples.     

Community Composition and Functioning of Denitrifying Bacteria from Adjacent Meadow and Forest Soils

We investigated communities of denitrifying bacteria from adjacent meadow and forest soils. Our objectives were to explore spatial gradients in denitrifier communities from meadow to forest, examine whether community composition was related to ecological properties (such as vegetation type and process rates), and determine phylogenetic relationships among denitrifiers. nosZ, a key gene in the denitrification pathway for nitrous oxide reductase, served as a marker for denitrifying bacteria. Denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA) was measured as a proxy for function. Other variables, such as nitrification potential and soil C/N ratio, were also measured. Soil samples were taken along transects that spanned meadow-forest boundaries at two sites in the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest in the Western Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Results indicated strong functional and structural community differences between the meadow and forest soils. Levels of DEA were an order of magnitude higher in the meadow soils. Denitrifying community composition was related to process rates and vegetation type as determined on the basis of multivariate analyses of nosZ terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism profiles. Denitrifier communities formed distinct groups according to vegetation type and site. Screening 225 nosZ clones yielded 47 unique denitrifying genotypes; the most dominant genotype occurred 31 times, and half the genotypes occurred once. Several dominant and less-dominant denitrifying genotypes were more characteristic of either meadow or forest soils. The majority of nosZ fragments sequenced from meadow or forest soils were most similar to nosZ from the Rhizobiaceae group in α-Proteobacteria species. Denitrifying community composition, as well as environmental factors, may contribute to the variability of denitrification rates in these systems.