Influence of edaphic and management factors on the diversity and abundance of ammonia‐oxidizing thaumarchaeota and bacteria in soils of bioenergy crop cultivars

Journal Article · Thu Feb 26 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Environmental Microbiology Reports

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.12250· OSTI ID:1400890

Bertagnolli, Anthony D. ^[1]; Meinhardt, Kelley A. ^[1]; Pannu, Manmeet ^[1]; Brown, Sally ^[2]; Strand, Stuart ^[1]; Fransen, Steven C. ^[3]; Stahl, David A. ^[1]

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1. Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Washington Seattle WA 98195 USA
2. School of Environmental and Forest Sciences University of Washington Seattle WA 98195 USA
3. Crop and Soil Sciences Washington State University Prosser WA 99350 USA

Summary Ammonia‐oxidizing thaumarcheota ( AOA ) and ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria ( AOB ) differentially influence soil and atmospheric chemistry, but soil properties that control their distributions are poorly understood. In this study, the ammonia monooxygenase gene ( amoA ) was used to identify and quantify presumptive AOA and AOB and relate their distributions to soil properties in two experimental fields planted with different varieties of switchgrass ( P anicum virgatum ), a potential bioenergy feedstock. Differences in ammonia oxidizer diversity were associated primarily with soil properties of the two field sites, with pH displaying significant correlations with both AOA and AOB population structure. Percent nitrogen (%N), carbon to nitrogen ratios (C : N), and pH were also correlated with shifts nitrifier population structure. N itrosotalea ‐like and N itrosospira cluster II populations were more highly represented in acidic soils, whereas populations affiliated with N itrososphaera and N itrosospira cluster 3 A .1 were relatively more abundant in alkaline soils. AOA were the dominant functional group in all plots based on quantitative polymerase chain reaction and high‐throughput sequencing analyses. These data suggest that AOA contribute significantly to nitrification rates in carbon and nitrogen rich soils influenced by perennial grasses.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 1400890
• Journal Information: Environmental Microbiology Reports, Journal Name: Environmental Microbiology Reports Vol. 7 Journal Issue: 2; ISSN 1758-2229
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English