| 1. |
- Albert, Séréna, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of settling organic matter quantity and quality on benthic nitrogen cycling
- 2021
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Ingår i: Limnology and Oceanography. - : Wiley. - 1939-5590 .- 0024-3590. ; 66:5, s. 1882-1895
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coastal sediments are major contributors to global carbon (C) mineralization and nutrient cycling and are tightly linked to processes in the pelagic environment. In this study, we aimed to investigate the regulating potential of quantity and quality of planktonic organic matter (OM) deposition on benthic metabolism, with a particular focus on nitrogen (N) cycling processes. We simulated inputs of spring (C : N 10.9) and summer (C : N 5.6) plankton communities in high and low quantities to sediment cores, and followed oxygen consumption, nutrient fluxes as well as nitrate reduction rates, that is, denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium for 10 d. Our results demonstrate the primary importance of OM quality in determining the fate of organic N once it settles to the sediment surface. Settling of N-rich summer plankton material resulted in a ∼ twofold lower denitrification efficiency (40–56%) compared to N-poor spring plankton (88–115%). This indicates that N-rich plankton deposition favors recycling of inorganic nutrients to the water column over N-loss via denitrification. OM quantity was positively related to mineralization activity, but this neither directly affected N fluxes nor denitrification activity, highlighting the complex interplay between the OM quantity and quality in regulating N cycling. In light of these new findings, we support the use of simple qualitative indicators such as C : N ratio of OM to investigate how future changes in benthic-pelagic coupling might influence N budgets at the sediment–water interface.
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| 2. |
- Berg, Carlo, et al.
(författare)
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Significance of archaeal nitrification in hypoxic waters of the Baltic Sea
- 2015
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Ingår i: The ISME Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1751-7362 .- 1751-7370. ; 9:6, s. 1319-1332
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread, and their abundance in many terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems suggests a prominent role in nitrification. AOA also occur in high numbers in oxygen-deficient marine environments, such as the pelagic redox gradients of the central Baltic Sea; however, data on archaeal nitrification rates are scarce and little is known about the factors, for example sulfide, that regulate nitrification in this system. In the present work, we assessed the contribution of AOA to ammonia oxidation rates in Baltic deep basins and elucidated the impact of sulfide on this process. Rate measurements with N-15-labeled ammonium, CO2 dark fixation measurements and quantification of AOA by catalyzed reporter deposition-fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that among the three investigated sites the highest potential nitrification rates (122-884 nmol l(-1) per day) were measured within gradients of decreasing oxygen, where thaumarchaeotal abundance was maximal (2.5-6.9 x 10(5) cells per ml) and CO2 fixation elevated. In the presence of the archaeal-specific inhibitor GC7, nitrification was reduced by 86-100%, confirming the assumed dominance of AOA in this process. In samples spiked with sulfide at concentrations similar to those of in situ conditions, nitrification activity was inhibited but persisted at reduced rates. This result together with the substantial nitrification potential detected in sulfidic waters suggests the tolerance of AOA to periodic mixing of anoxic and sulfidic waters. It begs the question of whether the globally distributed Thaumarchaeota respond similarly in other stratified water columns or whether the observed robustness against sulfide is a specific feature of the thaumarchaeotal subcluster present in the Baltic Deeps.
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| 3. |
- Bonaglia, Stefano, et al.
(författare)
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Denitrification and DNRA at the Baltic Sea oxic-anoxic interface : Substrate spectrum and kinetics
- 2016
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Ingår i: Limnology and Oceanography. - : Wiley. - 0024-3590 .- 1939-5590. ; 61:5, s. 1900-1915
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The dependence of denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) on different electron donors was tested in the nitrate-containing layer immediately below the oxic-anoxic interface (OAI) at three stations in the central anoxic basins of the Baltic Sea. Additionally, pathways and rates of fixed nitrogen transformation were investigated with N-15 incubation techniques without addition of donors. Denitrification and anammox were always detected, but denitrification rates were higher than anammox rates. DNRA occurred at two sites and rates were two orders of magnitude lower than denitrification rates. Separate additions of dissolved organic carbon and sulfide stimulated rates without time lag indicating that both organotrophic and lithotrophic bacterial populations were simultaneously active and that they could carry out denitrification or DNRA. Manganese addition stimulated denitrification and DNRA at one station, but it is not clear whether this was due to a direct or indirect effect. Ammonium oxidation to nitrite was detected on one occasion. During denitrification, the production of nitrous oxide (N2O) was as important as dinitrogen (N-2) production. A high ratio of N2O to N-2 production at one site may be due to copper limitation, which inhibits the last denitrification step. These data demonstrate the coexistence of a range of oxidative and reductive nitrogen cycling processes at the Baltic OAI and suggest that the dominant electron donor supporting denitrification and DNRA is organic matter. Organotrophic denitrification is more important for nitrogen budgets than previously thought, but the large temporal variability in rates calls for long-term seasonal studies.
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| 4. |
- Bonaglia, Stefano, et al.
(författare)
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The fate of fixed nitrogen in marine sediments with low organic loading : an in situ study
- 2017
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Ingår i: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 14:2, s. 285-300
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Over the last decades, the impact of human activities on the global nitrogen (N) cycle has drastically increased. Consequently, benthic N cycling has mainly been studied in anthropogenically impacted estuaries and coasts, while in oligotrophic systems its understanding is still scarce. Here we report on benthic solute fluxes and on rates of denitrification, anammox, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) studied by in situ incubations with benthic chamber landers during two cruises to the Gulf of Bothnia (GOB), a cold, oligotrophic basin located in the northern part of the Baltic Sea. Rates of N burial were also inferred to investigate the fate of fixed N in these sediments. Most of the total dissolved fixed nitrogen (TDN) diffusing to the water column was composed of organic N. Average rates of dinitrogen (N-2) production by denitrification and anammox (range: 53-360 mu mol Nm(-2) day(-1)) were comparable to those from Arctic and subarctic sediments worldwide (range: 34-344 mu mol Nm(-2) day(-1)). Anammox accounted for 18-26% of the total N2 production. Absence of free hydrogen sulfide and low concentrations of dissolved iron in sediment pore water suggested that denitrification and DNRA were driven by organic matter oxidation rather than chemolithotrophy. DNRA was as important as denitrification at a shallow, coastal station situated in the northern Bothnian Bay. At this pristine and fully oxygenated site, ammonium regeneration through DNRA contributed more than one-third to the TDN efflux and accounted, on average, for 45% of total nitrate reduction. At the offshore stations, the proportion of DNRA in relation to denitrification was lower (0-16% of total nitrate reduction). Median value and range of benthic DNRA rates from the GOB were comparable to those from the southern and central eutrophic Baltic Sea and other temperate estuaries and coasts in Europe. Therefore, our results contrast with the view that DNRA is negligible in cold and well-oxygenated sediments with low organic carbon loading. However, the mechanisms behind the variability in DNRA rates between our sites were not resolved. The GOB sediments were a major source (237 kt yr(-1), which corresponds to 184% of the external N load) of fixed N to the water column through recycling mechanisms. To our knowledge, our study is the first to document the simultaneous contribution of denitrification, DNRA, anammox, and TDN recycling combined with in situ measurements.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Klawonn, Isabell, et al.
(författare)
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Distinct nitrogen cycling and steep chemical gradients in Trichodesmium colonies.
- 2020
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Ingår i: The ISME journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1751-7370 .- 1751-7362. ; 14, s. 399-412
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Trichodesmium is an important dinitrogen (N2)-fixing cyanobacterium in marine ecosystems. Recent nucleic acid analyses indicate that Trichodesmium colonies with their diverse epibionts support various nitrogen (N) transformations beyond N2 fixation. However, rates of these transformations and concentration gradients of N compounds in Trichodesmium colonies remain largely unresolved. We combined isotope-tracer incubations, micro-profiling and numeric modelling to explore carbon fixation, N cycling processes as well as oxygen, ammonium and nitrate concentration gradients in individual field-sampled Trichodesmium colonies. Colonies were net-autotrophic, with carbon and N2 fixation occurring mostly during the day. Ten percent of the fixed N was released as ammonium after 12-h incubations. Nitrification was not detectable but nitrate consumption was high when nitrate was added. The consumed nitrate was partly reduced to ammonium, while denitrification was insignificant. Thus, the potential N transformation network was characterised by fixed N gain and recycling processes rather than denitrification. Oxygen concentrations within colonies were ~60-200% air-saturation. Moreover, our modelling predicted steep concentration gradients, with up to 6-fold higher ammonium concentrations, and nitrate depletion in the colony centre compared to the ambient seawater. These gradients created a chemically heterogeneous microenvironment, presumably facilitating diverse microbial metabolisms in millimetre-sized Trichodesmium colonies.
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| 7. |
- Rotaru, Amelia-Elena, et al.
(författare)
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Conductive Particles Enable Syntrophic Acetate Oxidation between Geobacter and Methanosarcina from Coastal Sediments
- 2018
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Ingår i: mBio. - 2150-7511. ; 9:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coastal sediments are rich in conductive particles, possibly affecting microbial processes for which acetate is a central intermediate. In the methanogenic zone, acetate is consumed by methanogens and/or syntrophic acetate-oxidizing (SAO) consortia. SAO consortia live under extreme thermodynamic pressure, and their survival depends on successful partnership. Here, we demonstrate that conductive particles enable the partnership between SAO bacteria (i.e., Geobacter spp.) and methanogens (Methanosarcina spp.) from the coastal sediments of the Bothnian Bay of the Baltic Sea. Baltic methanogenic sediments were rich in conductive minerals, had an apparent isotopic fractionation characteristic of CO2-reductive methanogenesis, and were inhabited by Geobacter and Methanosarcina. As long as conductive particles were delivered, Geobacter and Methanosarcina persisted, whereas exclusion of conductive particles led to the extinction of Geobacter. Baltic Geobacter did not establish a direct electric contact with Methanosarcina, necessitating conductive particles as electrical conduits. Within SAO consortia, Geobacter was an efficient [13C]acetate utilizer, accounting for 82% of the assimilation and 27% of the breakdown of acetate. Geobacter benefits from the association with the methanogen, because in the absence of an electron acceptor it can use Methanosarcina as a terminal electron sink. Consequently, inhibition of methanogenesis constrained the SAO activity of Geobacter as well. A potential benefit for Methanosarcina partnering with Geobacter is that together they competitively exclude acetoclastic methanogens like Methanothrix from an environment rich in conductive particles. Conductive particle-mediated SAO could explain the abundance of acetate oxidizers like Geobacter in the methanogenic zone of sediments where no electron acceptors other than CO2 are available.IMPORTANCE Acetate-oxidizing bacteria are known to thrive in mutualistic consortia in which H2 or formate is shuttled to a methane-producing Archaea partner. Here, we discovered that such bacteria could instead transfer electrons via conductive minerals. Mineral SAO (syntrophic acetate oxidation) could be a vital pathway for CO2-reductive methanogenesis in the environment, especially in sediments rich in conductive minerals. Mineral-facilitated SAO is therefore of potential importance for both iron and methane cycles in sediments and soils. Additionally, our observations imply that agricultural runoff or amendments with conductive chars could trigger a significant increase in methane emissions.
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