Titel
Single cell analyses reveal contrasting life strategies of the two main nitrifiers in the ocean
Autor*in
Hannah K. Marchant
Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Autor*in
Laura A. Bristow
Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
... show all
Abstract
Nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia via nitrite to nitrate, is a key process in marine nitrogen (N) cycling. Although oceanic ammonia and nitrite oxidation are balanced, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) vastly outnumber the main nitrite oxidizers, the bacterial Nitrospinae. The ecophysiological reasons for this discrepancy in abundance are unclear. Here, we compare substrate utilization and growth of Nitrospinae to AOA in the Gulf of Mexico. Based on our results, more than half of the Nitrospinae cellular N-demand is met by the organic-N compounds urea and cyanate, while AOA mainly assimilate ammonium. Nitrospinae have, under in situ conditions, around four-times higher biomass yield and five-times higher growth rates than AOA, despite their ten-fold lower abundance. Our combined results indicate that differences in mortality between Nitrospinae and AOA, rather than thermodynamics, biomass yield and cell size, determine the abundances of these main marine nitrifiers. Furthermore, there is no need to invoke yet undiscovered, abundant nitrite oxidizers to explain nitrification rates in the ocean.
Stichwort
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyGeneral Physics and AstronomyGeneral Chemistry
Objekt-Typ
Sprache
Englisch [eng]
Persistent identifier
https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:1241332
Erschienen in
Titel
Nature Communications
Band
11
Ausgabe
1
ISSN
2041-1723
Erscheinungsdatum
2020
Verlag
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Projektnummer
ERC NITRICARE 294343 – European Union (all programmes)
Projektnummer
W 1257 – Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Erscheinungsdatum
2020
Zugänglichkeit
Rechteangabe
© The Author(s) 2020

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