Nitrification and nitrogen mineralization in a lowland rainforest succession in Costa Rica,Central America

Summary Nitrogen availability is a critical component of productivity in successional lowland rainforests, and nitrogen losses from a given system may largely depend on rates of nitrification in soils of the system. Two hypotheses were tested in a study of a 6-point secondary rainforest sere in the coastal lowlands of Costa Rica: that nitrification and N mineralization change in a directed fashion in lowland rainforest successions, and that nitrification is regulated by ammonium availability at all points along the sere. Nitrate and mineral N production were measured in short-term laboratory incubations of soils from different stages of secondary succession corresponding to 0, 3, 8, 16, 31 and 60 + years following disturbance. Results indicate that nitrification increases through the first 4 successional stages and then declines somewhat before leveling off. In soil from all sites, most of the N mineralized was nitrified, and added NH₄Cl strikingly stimulated net nitrate production. Added NaH₂PO₄, CaCO₃, and CaSO₄ did not stimulate net nitrate production or did not result in a greater proportion of nitrate than in controls. These results suggest that nitrification and N mineralization may tend to increase through secondary rainforest succession and that ammonium availability along the sere regulates rates of nitrification.     

The impact of polychaete (Nereis virens Sars) burrows on nitrification and nitrate reduction in estuarine sediments

The influence of Nereis virens Sars burrows on nitrification, denitrification and total nitrate reduction was assessed in poor (0.7% organic matter) and rich (2.0% organic matter) sediment from the estuary, Norsminde Fjord. The experiments were performed as assays of potential activity, since natural conditions proved impossible to simulate in the unpredictable burrow environment. The measurements were made in two microprofiles, extending 15 mm into the sediment from the surface and from the burrow wall lining. Both sediment types showed higher potential nitrification in the wall linings than in the surface sediment. This was positively correlated with the content of silt + clay particles and organic matter (i.e. the mucous lining of burrow walls). An elevated nitrate reduction activity was evident in the oxic layer of surface sediment. No such activity pattern was observed in the burrow walls. Denitrification accounted for 27–53 % of the total nitrate reduction. An empirical relationship between the ratio of predicted oxygen penetration into surface and wall sediment and the contribution of nereid burrows to bulk actual nitrification and nitrate reduction is presented. The burrow contribution to bulk nitrification was, in contrast to bulk nitrate reduction, very sensitive to variable oxygen penetrations. Thus, possible short-time changes in nitrate exchange across the wall lining will apparently be regulated by changes in nitrification activity rather than nitrate reduction activity.     

Apparent and Measured Rates of Nitrification in the Hypolimnion of a Mesotrophic Lake

Three distinct phases were observed in the change of dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations in the hypolimnion of Grasmere. The second phase of decreasing ammonia and increasing nitrate concentrations was typical of the nitrification process. Observations on nitrate concentration gradients between surface sediments and the water column and experiments using the nitrification inhibitor N-Serve indicated the in situ activity of chemolithotrophic nitrifying organisms. Nitrification rates were estimated throughout the period of stratification by using the N-Serve and [¹⁴C]bicarbonate uptake method. Comparison of the field nitrate concentrations with the predicted nitrate concentrations (from estimates of the nitrification rate) indicated that the method underestimated the true rate of nitrification. Possible reasons for this are discussed.     

Diversity, abundance, and potential activity of nitrifying and nitrate-reducing microbial assemblages in a subglacial ecosystem

Subglacial sediments sampled from beneath Robertson Glacier (RG), Alberta, Canada, were shown to harbor diverse assemblages of potential nitrifiers, nitrate reducers, and diazotrophs, as assessed by amoA, narG, and nifH gene biomarker diversity. Although archaeal amoA genes were detected, they were less abundant and less diverse than bacterial amoA, suggesting that bacteria are the predominant nitrifiers in RG sediments. Maximum nitrification and nitrate reduction rates in microcosms incubated at 4°C were 280 and 18.5 nmol of N per g of dry weight sediment per day, respectively, indicating the potential for these processes to occur in situ. Geochemical analyses of subglacial sediment pore waters and bulk subglacial meltwaters revealed low concentrations of inorganic and organic nitrogen compounds. These data, when coupled with a C/N atomic ratio of dissolved organic matter in subglacial pore waters of ~210, indicate that the sediment communities are N limited. This may reflect the combined biological activities of organic N mineralization, nitrification, and nitrate reduction. Despite evidence of N limitation and the detection of nifH, we were unable to detect biological nitrogen fixation activity in subglacial sediments. Collectively, the results presented here suggest a role for nitrification and nitrate reduction in sustaining microbial life in subglacial environments. Considering that ice currently covers 11% of the terrestrial landmass and has covered significantly greater portions of Earth at times in the past, the demonstration of nitrification and nitrate reduction in subglacial environments furthers our understanding of the potential for these environments to contribute to global biogeochemical cycles on glacial-interglacial timescales.     

The effects of sediment desiccation on the potential for nitrification, denitrification, and methanogenesis in an Australian reservoir

Sediments from an Australian reservoir were selected for varying degrees of in situ desiccation (i.e. non-desiccated, partially desiccated and desiccated). Sediment samples were then chemically amended with appropriate electron donors and acceptors to ascertain the effect of sediment desiccation on the potential for nitrification, denitrification, methanogenesis, and the interaction of these processes. There was no detectable nitrification in these sediments yet up to 75% of added nitrate was converted to dinitrogen. Denitrification was predominantly limited by nitrate although there was evidence of carbon co-limitation. None of the nitrogen cycle processes were notably affected by sediment desiccation. There was no flush of mineral nitrogen from desiccated sediments upon rewetting. Methanogenesis did not begin in these sediments until nitrate concentrations fell below 2.25 * 10^-5 M. Methanogenesis was always carbon limited. Methanogens were affected by sediment desiccation but were capable of recovery over time upon rewetting of sediments.     

Leaching of nitrogen from subtropical soils as affected by nitrification potential and base cations

A soil column method was used to determine the effect of nitrification on leaching of nitrate and ammonium from three acid subtropical soils after application of ammonium bicarbonate. Three soils, designated QF, GB and SU, derived from Quaternary red earth, granite and tertiary red sandstone, were collected from forest land, brush land and upland field, ranged in nitrification potential and cation exchange capacity. The results indicated that nitrate leaching increased with the soil nitrification potential. The soils with higher nitrification potential had a higher nitrate peak concentration and required a shorter time to reach it. In soils QF and GB with low cation exchange capacity, and a low content of exchangeable base cations, there were not sufficient base cations to accompany the nitrate leached with the result that ammonium and hydrogen ions were leached from the soil, and pH changes occurred in different layers of the soil column.     

Nitrification and nitrate reductase activity along a secondary successional gradient

The control of nitrification was studied in a secondary successional gradient on Nantucket Island, MA. It was hypothesized that 1) variability in nitrification along the gradient is controlled by litter primary and secondary chemistry, and 2) differences in nitrate availability along the gradient are reflected in potential nitrate assimilation rates in plant tissue. Nitrification varied significantly (p<0.05) by successional stage in all study sites, generally increasing with successional age. The ratio of nitrification to total N mineralization did not vary significantly between successional stages, suggesting substrate limitation of nitrification. Litter terpenoid resin concentration was a significant predictor (p<0.05) of nitrification rate, but soil %C, %N, and water content also contributed significantly to a stepwise regression model predicting nitrification. Nitrate reductase activity (NRA), an index of potential nitrate assimilation, was measured in an assay species (Schizachyrium scoparium). Although there was no significant correlation with nitrification, NRA was significantly (p<0.05) negatively correlated with soil ammonium concentration along the successional gradient at one site, suggesting that plants preferentially utilized ammonium in this system.     

Nitrification potentials in early successional black locust and in mixed hardwood forest stands in the southern Appalachians,USA

Soil nitrogen mineralisation and nitrification potentials, and soil solution chemistry were measured in black locust (Robinia pseudo-acacia L.), in pine-mixed hardwood stands on an early successional watershed (WS6), and in an older growth oak-hickory forest located on an adjacent, mixed hardwood watershed (WS14) at Coweeta Hydrologic laboratory, in the southern Appalachian mountains, U.S.A. Nitrification potentials were higher in black locust and pine-mixed hardwood early successional stands than in the oak-hickory forest of the older growth watershed. Ammonification rates were the main factor controlling nitrification in the early successional stands. There was no evidence of inhibition of nitrification in soils from the older growth oak-hickory forest site.Within the early successional watershed, black locust sites had net mineralisation and nitrification rates at least twice as high as those in the pine mixed-hardwood stands. Concentrations of exchangeable nitrate in the soil of black locust stands were higher than in pine-mixed hardwoods at 0–15 cm in March and they were also higher at 0–15, 16–30 and 31–45 cm depth in the black locust dominated sites in July. Soil solution nitrate concentrations were higher under black locust than under pine-mixed hardwoods. Areas dominated by the nitrogen fixing black locust had greater nitrogen mineralisation and nitrification rates, resulting in higher potential for leaching losses of nitrate from the soil column in the early successional watershed.     

温度、水分及不同氮源对土壤硝化作用的影响

选用陕西省 3个自然生态区 3种主要耕作土壤土样 ,在实验室培养条件下 ,研究温度、水分及不同氮肥品种对其硝化作用的影响 ,并用 d N/ dt=b N(B-N) / B方程描述硝化作用过程中硝态氮含量随时间的累积变化 ,获得定量描述硝化作用强弱的两个指标 (Kmax和 td)。结果表明 :不同土壤水分含量对硝化作用的影响在不同土壤间差异明显 ;但不同土壤在田间持水量 (F H C)的 60时 ,硝化作用的最大速率 (Kmax)及硝化率最高。土壤温度不仅显著影响硝化作用的最大速率 (Kmax)和硝化率 ,而且迟缓期 (td)也有明显变化。不同氮肥品种对硝化作用的影响主要表现在硝化率不同 ,3种土壤硝化率均为硫酸铵 >尿素和碳铵 >氯化铵 ,显示硫酸根离子的促进作用和氯离子的强烈抑制作用。但氮肥品种对硝化作用的最大速率 (Kmax)和迟缓期 (td)的影响不规律。     

硝化基质和产物对发光细菌的急性毒性

摘要：【目的】对硝化基质和产物对硝化过程的影响进行初步研究。【方法】采用发光细菌法,在pH=7.0的条件下,测定了氨、羟胺、亚硝酸和硝酸对发光细菌的急性毒性（15min-半抑制浓度（the half inhibitory concentration,IC50））。【结果】单一物质的毒性试验结果表明,硝化基质和产物对发光细菌的毒性随浓度的升高而增大,且具有较好的线性关系;氨、羟胺、亚硝酸和硝酸的IC50分别为2180.2 mg/L、6.2740 mg/L、1207.2 mg/L和3140.3 mg/L;其毒性大小顺序为：羟胺 >亚硝酸 >氨 >硝酸。按等效浓度混合法测定硝化基质和产物的联合毒性,结果表明：氨与羟胺、氨与亚硝酸、羟胺与亚硝酸对发光细菌的联合毒性呈相加作用;氨与硝酸、羟胺与硝酸、亚硝酸与硝酸对发光细菌的联合毒性呈独立作用;氨、羟胺、亚硝酸、硝酸四元混合物的联合毒性也呈相加作用。【结论】根据硝化基质和产物对发光细菌和硝化细菌抑制浓度的相关性,可用发光细菌发光强度的变化指示硝化基质和产物的抑制作用。     

Influence of the size of soil structural aggregates on the degree of nitrification

It was found that the degree of nitrification and the nitrate level in soils with a water stable structure was correlated to the size of the aggregates. The degree of nitrification and the nitrate level was in inverse proportion to the size of the aggregates. The correlation of the degree of nitrification to the specific surface area (the total outer area of one gramme of aggregates of a given fraction) has the form of a curve, similar in appearance to a hyperbola. Analysis of the conditions of nitrification in isolated fractions and in natural soil led to the conclusion that the factor controlling the degree of nitrification is the difference in aeration of aggregates of different sizes.     

Experimental measurement of sediment nitrification and denitrification in Hamilton Harbour,Canada

This research examines the role of sediment nitrification and denitrification in the nitrogen cycle of Hamilton Harbour. The Harbour is subject to large ammonia and carbon loadings from a waste-water treatment plant and from steel industries. Spring ammonia concentrations rapidly decrease from 4.5 to 0.5 mg 1⁻¹, while spring nitrate concentrations increase from 1 to 2 mg l⁻¹, by mid-summer. A three-layer sediment model was developed. The first layer is aerobic; in it, oxidation of organics and nitrification occurs. The second layer is for denitrification, and the third layer is for anaerobic processes. Ammonia sources for nitrification include diffusion from the water column, sources associated with the oxidation of organics, sources from denitrification and from anaerobic processes. Diffusion of oxygen, ammonia and nitrate across the sediment-water interface occurs. Temperature effects are modelled using the Arrhenius concept. A combination of zero-order kinetics for nitrate or ammonia consumption with diffusion results in a half-order reaction, with respect to the water column loss rate to sediments. From experimental measurement, the rate of nitrification is 200 mg N 1⁻¹ sediment per day, while that of denitrification is 85 mg N 1–1 sediment per day at 20 °C. The Arrhenius activation energy is estimated as 15 000 cal/ mole-K and 17 000 cal/ mole-K for nitrification and denitrification, respectively, between 10 °C and 20 °C. Calculations of the flux of ammonia with the sediments, using the biofilm model, compare favourably with experimental observations. The ammonia flux from the water column is estimated to account for 20% of the observed decrease in water column stocks of ammonia, while the nitrate flux from the water column is estimated to account for 25% of the total nitrogen produced by the sediments.     

Measurement of nitrification rates in lake sediments: Comparison of the nitrification inhibitors nitrapyrin and allylthiourea

A method for measuring rates of nitrification in intact marine sediment cores has been modified and adapted for use in freshwater sediments. The technique involves subsampling a sediment core into minicores. Half of these cores are treated with an inhibitor of chemolithotrophic nitrification and, after incubation, differences in ammonia and nitrate concentration between inhibited and uninhibited systems are calculated. The within-treatment variability of ammonia and nitrate concentrations could be reduced by storing the cores overnight prior to subsampling. Estimates of the nitrification rate using the difference in ammonia concentrations between the inhibited and uninhibited mini-cores were always greater than the rate estimate using the difference in nitrate concentrations. Comparison between the results using the nitrification inhibitors allylthiourea (ATU) and nitrapyrin (N-Serve) indicated that the former appeared to give larger values for the nitrification rate than did the latter. Differences in the efficiency of these inhibitors in the control of nitrification under the conditions used partly explain these results. Data are also presented on the effect of N-Serve and ATU on some other nitrogen transformations affecting ammonia and nitrate concentrations.     

Estimates of Denitrification and Nitrification in Coastal and Estuarine Sediments

Denitrification and nitrification in sediments of Tama Estuary and Odawa Bay, Japan, were investigated by the combined use of a continuous-flow sediment-water system and a ¹⁵N tracer technique. At Odawa Bay, the nitrification rate was comparable to the nitrate reduction rate, and 70% of the N₂ evolved originated from nitrogenous oxides (nitrate and nitrite) which were produced by the action of nitrifying bacteria in the sediments. At Tama Estuary, the nitrate reduction rate was 11 to 17 times higher than the nitrification rate, and nitrogenous oxides derived from ammonium accounted for only 6 to 9% of the N₂ evolution by denitrification.     

The conversion of amino acids in soils

Summary In an investigation on the conversion of amino acids in percolated soils, it was found that during the breakdown of glutamic acid to ammonia micro-organisms developed in the soil capable of denitrifying nitrite and nitrate to gaseous nitrogen. The enrichment of a soil with these micro-organisms was studied.Drying of the enriched soil had a deleterious effect on the activity of these micro-organisms.The interaction between denitrification and soil nitrification processes was studied in soil subjected to various percolation treatments. When the denitrifying micro-organisms and their metabolites were present in the soil the amount of nitrogen lost by denitrification depended on the availability of nitrite and nitrate. When this was supplied externally, in glutamate—nitrite or glutamate—nitrate mixtures, considerable reduction occurred. Losses were less severe where nitrite and nitrate entered the system internall y by nitrification of the ammonia produced from the breakdown of the amino acid. In fresh soils there were indications that the amount of nitrification occurring during amino-acid breakdown was the important factor.All the data appeared to be consistent with the hypothesis that during the conversion of amino acids in soils a delicate balance is established between nitrification and denitrification reactions by different types of soil micro-organisms.     

Heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification inAlcaligenes faecalis strain TUD

Heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic and anaerobic denitrification byAlcaligenes faecalis strain TUD were studied in continuous cultures under various environmental conditions. Both nitrification and denitrification activities increased with the dilution rate. At dissolved oxygen concentrations above 46% air saturation, hydroxylamine, nitrite and nitrate accumulated, indicating that both the nitrification and denitrification were less efficient. The overall nitrification activity was, however, essentially unaffected by the oxygen concentration. The nitrification rate increased with increasing ammonia concentration, but was lower in the presence of nitrate or nitrite. When present, hydroxylamine, was nitrified preferentially. Relatively low concentrations of acetate caused substrate inhibition (K_I=109 M acetate). Denitrifying or assimilatory nitrate reductases were not detected, and the copper nitrite reductase, rather than cytochrome cd, was present. Thiosulphate (a potential inhibitor of heterotrophic nitrification) was oxidized byA. faecalis strain TUD, with a maximum oxygen uptake rate of 140–170nmol O₂·min^-1·mg prot^-1. Comparison of the behaviour ofA. faecalis TUD with that of other bacteria capable of heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification established that the response of these organisms to environmental parameters is not uniform. Similarities were found in their responses to dissolved oxygen concentrations, growth rate and ammonia concentration. However, they differed in their responses to externally supplied nitrite and nitrate.     

不同密度下的鲤鱼扰动作用对沉积物-水界面硝化、反硝化和氨化速率的影响

为研究不同密度下的鲤鱼（Cyprinus carpio）扰动作用对沉积物-水界面硝化、反硝化及硝酸盐氨化速率的影响,实验设置了一个对照组（不放鲤鱼组,用C0表示）和5个不同鲤鱼放养密度组（2、4、6、8、10尾/水槽,分别用C2、C4、C6、C8、C10表示）,定期用无扰动底泥采集器采集沉积物样品,乙炔抑制法测定沉积物-水界面的硝化、反硝化及硝酸盐氨化速率,示踪颗粒法测定鲤鱼的物理扰动深度。主要实验结果如下:（1）在5种密度下,鲤鱼对底泥的物理扰动深度主要集中在15 cm。（2）空白组（C0）沉积物-水界面硝化速率显著高于鲤鱼放养组（P0.05）,而放养密度较大的C8和C10组,其沉积物-水界面的硝化速率显著高于低密度放养组（C2、C4和C6）（P0.05）。（3）实验期间,空白组（C0）沉积物-水界面几乎检测不出反硝化速率,而鲤鱼放养组则总体表现为放养密度越大,沉积物-水界面反硝化速率越高。（4）各组硝酸盐氨化速率波动范围不大,但放养密度较大的C8和C10组,其硝酸盐氨化速率相对其他组较高。实验结果表明:在实验条件下,鲤鱼对沉积物-水界面的硝化和反硝化作用均有明显的促进作用,放养密度越高促进作用越明显,在沉积物中有机碳含量充足的情况下,鲤鱼的扰动可以对富营养化池塘起到很好的去氮作用。       

Simultaneous nitrification,denitrification, and phosphorus removal in a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor

Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) via the nitrite pathway and anaerobic-anoxic-enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) are two processes that can significantly reduce the energy and COD demand for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. The combination of these two processes has the potential of achieving simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal with a minimal requirement for COD. A lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated in alternating anaerobic-aerobic mode with a low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (0.5 mg/L) during the aerobic period, and was demonstrated to accomplish nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal. Under anaerobic conditions, COD was taken up and converted to polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), accompanied by phosphorus release. In the subsequent aerobic stage, PHA was oxidized and phosphorus was taken up to <0.5 mg/L by the end of the cycle. Ammonia was also oxidized during the aerobic period, but without accumulation of nitrite or nitrate in the system, indicating the occurrence of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification. However, off-gas analysis showed that the final denitrification product was mainly nitrous oxide (N(2)O), not N(2). Further experimental results demonstrated that nitrogen removal was via nitrite, not nitrate. These experiments also showed that denitrifying glycogen-accumulating organisms (DGAOs), rather than denitrifying polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (DPAOs), were responsible for the denitrification activity.     

Stable coexistence of contrasted nitrification statuses in a wet tropical savanna ecosystem

1. Wet tropical savannas are characterized by strong environmental constraints—particularly low soil nutrient availability—associated with high plant productivity. Nitrogen recycling, and especially nitrification, is supposed to be a strong determinant of the balance between conservation and loss of nutrients at the ecosystem level. Savanna facies dominated by the grass Hyparrhenia diplandra (Andropogoneae) are known to exhibit low levels of nitrification and thus avoid nitrate losses.
2. By comparing two sites in the Lamto area (Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa) with similar soil physico-chemical characteristics and equally dominated by H. diplandra (80% of the grass cover), it was demonstrated that, within this facies, nitrification is highly heterogeneous, with a 240-fold variation in potential nitrification within a specific site.
3. In order to test whether these differences can be considered as permanent in this ecosystem, nitrate reductase activities were compared on H. diplandra plantlets from the two sites, cultivated under identical conditions in the presence of nitrate. The leaves of plants originating from the high nitrification site were always able to reduce nitrate at a significantly higher rate than those from the low nitrification site. This observation indicates a long-term adaptation of the plants and stable nitrification behaviour.
4. Lamto can thus be considered as a contrasted dual ecosystem relative to its nitrogen cycle. The two sites studied therefore constitute useful models to assess the determinism of nitrification in wet savannas and the role of this process on nitrogen retention in such ecosystems.     

Nitrification and Autotrophic Nitrifying Bacteria in a Hydrocarbon-Polluted Soil

In vitro ammonia-oxidizing bacteria are capable of oxidizing hydrocarbons incompletely. This transformation is accompanied by competitive inhibition of ammonia monooxygenase, the first key enzyme in nitrification. The effect of hydrocarbon pollution on soil nitrification was examined in situ. In a microcosm study, adding diesel fuel hydrocarbon to an uncontaminated soil (agricultural unfertilized soil) treated with ammonium sulfate dramatically reduced the amount of KCl-extractable nitrate but stimulated ammonium consumption. In a soil with long history of pollution that was treated with ammonium sulfate, 90% of the ammonium was transformed into nitrate after 3 weeks of incubation. Nitrate production was twofold higher in the contaminated soil than in the agricultural soil to which hydrocarbon was not added. To assess if ammonia-oxidizing bacteria acquired resistance to inhibition by hydrocarbon, the contaminated soil was reexposed to diesel fuel. Ammonium consumption was not affected, but nitrate production was 30% lower than nitrate production in the absence of hydrocarbon. The apparent reduction in nitrification resulted from immobilization of ammonium by hydrocarbon-stimulated microbial activity. These results indicated that the hydrocarbon inhibited nitrification in the noncontaminated soil (agricultural soil) and that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the polluted soil acquired resistance to inhibition by the hydrocarbon, possibly by increasing the affinity of nitrifying bacteria for ammonium in the soil.