Effects of Soil pH on Gaseous Nitrogen Loss Pathway via Feammox Process

The application of N fertilizer is one of the most critical soil acidification factors in China, and soil acidification significantly alters biogeochemical processes such as N loss. Anaerobic ammonium oxidation coupled with iron reduction (Feammox) is an important biological process for N loss in na...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2021-09, Vol.13 (18), p.10393
Main Authors: Ma, Ding, Wang, Jin, Xue, Jun, Yue, Zhengbo, Xia, Shaofeng, Song, Lei, Gao, Hongwen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acidic soils
Acidification
Agricultural production
Ammonium
Anaerobic processes
Biogeochemical cycles
Biogeochemistry
Biological activity
Biotechnology
Denitrification
Environmental impact
Fertilizers
Laboratories
Microbial activity
Microorganisms
Nitrogen dioxide
Oxidation
Sediments
Slurries
Soil acidification
Soil chemistry
Soil pH
Sustainability
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The application of N fertilizer is one of the most critical soil acidification factors in China, and soil acidification significantly alters biogeochemical processes such as N loss. Anaerobic ammonium oxidation coupled with iron reduction (Feammox) is an important biological process for N loss in natural environments, with the end-products of N2, NO2− and NO3−. However, the response of Feammox pathways to soil pH fluctuation has not been thoroughly studied. In the current study, Feammox pathways and microbial communities were explored through a slurry culture experiment with an artificially adjusted pH combined with a 15N isotope tracing technique and molecular biotechnology. Results showed significant differences in the gaseous N loss through Feammox (0.42–0.97 mg N kg−1 d−1) under different pH conditions. The gaseous N loss pathways were significantly affected by the pH, and Feammox to N2 was the predominant pathway in low-pH incubations. The proportion of N loss caused by Feammox coupled with denitrification increased as the soil pH increased. The gaseous N loss through Feammox increased by 43.9% when the soil pH decreased from 6.5 to 5.0. Fe-reducing bacteria, such as Ochrobactrum, Sphingomonas, and Clostridium increased significantly in lower pH incubations. Overall, this study demonstrated the effects of soil pH on Feammox pathways and extended the understanding of the N biogeochemical cycle in acidic soil.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su131810393