Importance of denitrifiers lacking the genes encoding the nitrous oxide reductase for N2O emissions from soil

Global Change BiologyVolume 17, Issue 3 p. 1497-1504 Importance of denitrifiers lacking the genes encoding the nitrous oxide reductase for N2O emissions from soil LAURENT PHILIPPOT, LAURENT PHILIPPOT INRA, Department of Soil and Environmental Microbiology, UMR 1229, F-21000 Dijon, France Department of Soil and Environmental Microbiology, University of Burgundy, UMR 1229, F-21000 Dijon, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorJANET ANDERT, JANET ANDERT Uppsala BioCenter, Department of Microbiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7025, 750 07 Uppsala, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorCHRISTOPHER M. JONES, CHRISTOPHER M. JONES Uppsala BioCenter, Department of Microbiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7025, 750 07 Uppsala, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorDAVID BRU, DAVID BRU INRA, Department of Soil and Environmental Microbiology, UMR 1229, F-21000 Dijon, France Department of Soil and Environmental Microbiology, University of Burgundy, UMR 1229, F-21000 Dijon, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorSARA HALLIN, SARA HALLIN Uppsala BioCenter, Department of Microbiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7025, 750 07 Uppsala, SwedenSearch for more papers by this author LAURENT PHILIPPOT, LAURENT PHILIPPOT INRA, Department of Soil and Environmental Microbiology, UMR 1229, F-21000 Dijon, France Department of Soil and Environmental Microbiology, University of Burgundy, UMR 1229, F-21000 Dijon, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorJANET ANDERT, JANET ANDERT Uppsala BioCenter, Department of Microbiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7025, 750 07 Uppsala, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorCHRISTOPHER M. JONES, CHRISTOPHER M. JONES Uppsala BioCenter, Department of Microbiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7025, 750 07 Uppsala, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorDAVID BRU, DAVID BRU INRA, Department of Soil and Environmental Microbiology, UMR 1229, F-21000 Dijon, France Department of Soil and Environmental Microbiology, University of Burgundy, UMR 1229, F-21000 Dijon, FranceSearch for more papers by this authorSARA HALLIN, SARA HALLIN Uppsala BioCenter, Department of Microbiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7025, 750 07 Uppsala, SwedenSearch for more papers by this author First published: 16 September 2010 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02334.xCitations: 247 Sara Hallin, tel. +46 18 67 32 09, fax +46 18 67 33 99, e-mail: Sara.Hallin@mikrob.slu.se Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Analyses of the complete genomes of sequenced denitrifying bacteria revealed that approximately 1/3 have a truncated denitrification pathway, lacking the nosZ gene encoding the nitrous oxide reductase. We investigated whether the number of denitrifiers lacking the genetic ability to synthesize the nitrous oxide reductase in soils is important for the proportion of N2O emitted by denitrification. Serial dilutions of the denitrifying strain Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 lacking the nosZ gene were inoculated into three different soils to modify the proportion of denitrifiers having the nitrous oxide reductase genes. The potential denitrification and N2O emissions increased when the size of inoculated C58 population in the soils was in the same range as the indigenous nosZ community. However, in two of the three soils, the increase in potential denitrification in inoculated microcosms compared with the noninoculated microcosms was higher than the increase in N2O emissions. This suggests that the indigenous denitrifier community was capable of acting as a sink for the N2O produced by A. tumefaciens. The relative amount of N2O emitted also increased in two soils with the number of inoculated C58 cells, establishing a direct causal link between the denitrifier community composition and potential N2O emissions by manipulating the proportion of denitrifiers having the nosZ gene. However, the number of denitrifiers which do not possess a nitrous oxide reductase might not be as important for N2O emissions in soils having a high N2O uptake capacity compared with those with lower. In conclusion, we provide a proof of principle that the inability of some denitrifiers to synthesize the nitrous oxide reductase can influence the nature of the denitrification end products, indicating that the extent of the reduction of N2O to N2 by the denitrifying community can have a genetic basis. Citing Literature Volume17, Issue3March 2011Pages 1497-1504 RelatedInformation