Microbial mechanisms and ecosystem flux estimation for aerobic NOy emissions from deciduous forest soils

Mushinski, Ryan M.; Phillips, Richard P.; Payne, Zachary C.; Abney, Rebecca B.; Jo, Insu; Fei, Songlin; Pusede, Sally E.; White, Jeffrey R.; Rusch, Douglas B.; Raff, Jonathan D.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1814632116

Microbial mechanisms and ecosystem flux estimation for aerobic NO_y emissions from deciduous forest soils

Journal Article · Fri Jan 18 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1814632116· OSTI ID:1491411

; ; Payne, Zachary C.; Abney, Rebecca B.; ; ; Pusede, Sally E.; White, Jeffrey R.; Rusch, Douglas B.; Raff, Jonathan D.

Reactive nitrogen oxides (NO_y; NO_y = NO + NO₂+ HONO) decrease air quality and impact radiative forcing, yet the factors responsible for their emission from nonpoint sources (i.e., soils) remain poorly understood. As such, we investigated the factors that control the production of aerobic NO_yin forest soils using molecular techniques, process-based assays, and inhibitor experiments. We subsequently used these data to identify hotspots for gas emissions across forests of the eastern United States. Here, we show that nitrogen oxide soil emissions are mediated by microbial community structure (e.g., ammonium oxidizer abundances), soil chemical characteristics (pH and C:N), and nitrogen (N) transformation rates (net nitrification). We find that, while nitrification rates are controlled primarily by chemoautotrophic ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), the production of NO_y is mediated in large part by chemoautotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Variation in nitrification rates and nitrogen oxide emissions tracked variation in forest communities, as stands dominated by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) trees had greater N transformation rates and NO_y fluxes than stands dominated by ectomycorrhizal (ECM) trees. Given mapped distributions of AM and ECM trees from 78,000 forest inventory plots, we estimate that broadleaf forests of the Midwest and the eastern United States as well as the Mississippi River corridor may be considered hotspots of biogenic NO_y emissions. Together, our results greatly improve our understanding of NO_y fluxes from forests, which should lead to improved predictions about the atmospheric consequences of tree species shifts owing to land management and climate change.

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Research Organization:: Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA); National Science Foundation (NSF); USDA; USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0014443

OSTI ID:: 1491411

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1612200

Journal Information:: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 116; ISSN 0027-8424

Publisher:: National Academy of SciencesCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
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Microbial mechanisms and ecosystem flux estimation for aerobic NOy emissions from deciduous forest soils

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Microbial mechanisms and ecosystem flux estimation for aerobic NO_y emissions from deciduous forest soils