Dataset Information

N2O-producing microorganisms in the gut of the earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa are indicative of ingested soil bacteria.

ABSTRACT: The main objectives of this study were (i) to determine if gut wall-associated microorganisms are responsible for the capacity of earthworms to emit nitrous oxide (N(2)O) and (ii) to characterize the N(2)O-producing bacteria of the earthworm gut. The production of N(2)O in the gut of garden soil earthworms (Aporrectodea caliginosa) was mostly associated with the gut contents rather than the gut wall. Under anoxic conditions, nitrite and N(2)O were transient products when supplemental nitrate was reduced to N(2) by gut content homogenates. In contrast, nitrite and N(2)O were essentially not produced by nitrate-supplemented soil homogenates. The most probable numbers of fermentative anaerobes and microbes that used nitrate as a terminal electron acceptor were approximately 2 orders of magnitude higher in the earthworm gut than in the soil from which the earthworms originated. The fermentative anaerobes in the gut and soil displayed similar physiological functionalities. A total of 136 N(2)O-producing isolates that reduced either nitrate or nitrite were obtained from high serial dilutions of gut homogenates. Of the 25 representative N(2)O-producing isolates that were chosen for characterization, 22 isolates exhibited >99% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with their closest cultured relatives, which in most cases was a soil bacterium, most isolates were affiliated with the gamma subclass of the class Proteobacteria or with the gram-positive bacteria with low DNA G+C contents, and 5 isolates were denitrifiers and reduced nitrate to N(2)O or N(2). The initial N(2)O production rates of denitrifiers were 1 to 2 orders of magnitude greater than those of the nondenitrifying isolates. However, most nondenitrifying nitrate dissimilators produced nitrite and might therefore indirectly stimulate the production of N(2)O via nitrite-utilizing denitrifiers in the gut. The results of this study suggest that most of the N(2)O emitted by earthworms is due to the activation of ingested denitrifiers and other nitrate-dissimilating bacteria in the gut lumen.

SUBMITTER: Ihssen J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC150113 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

N2O-producing microorganisms in the gut of the earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa are indicative of ingested soil bacteria.

Ihssen Julian J Horn Marcus A MA Matthies Carola C Gössner Anita A Schramm Andreas A Drake Harold L HL

Applied and environmental microbiology 20030301 3

The main objectives of this study were (i) to determine if gut wall-associated microorganisms are responsible for the capacity of earthworms to emit nitrous oxide (N(2)O) and (ii) to characterize the N(2)O-producing bacteria of the earthworm gut. The production of N(2)O in the gut of garden soil earthworms (Aporrectodea caliginosa) was mostly associated with the gut contents rather than the gut wall. Under anoxic conditions, nitrite and N(2)O were transient products when supplemental nitrate was ...[more]

PMID: 12620856

Similar Datasets

Project description:Because of severe abiotic limitations, Antarctic soils represent simplified ecosystems, where microorganisms are the principle drivers of nutrient cycling. This relative simplicity makes these ecosystems particularly vulnerable to perturbations, like global warming, and the Antarctic Peninsula is among the most rapidly warming regions on the planet. However, the consequences of the ongoing warming of Antarctica on microorganisms and the processes they mediate are unknown. Here, using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and qPCR, we report a number of highly consistent changes in microbial community structure and abundance across very disparate sub-Antarctic and Antarctic environments following three years of experimental field warming (+ 0.5-2°C). Specifically, we found significant increases in the abundance of fungi and bacteria and in the Alphaproteobacteria-to-Acidobacteria ratio. These alterations were linked to a significant increase in soil respiration. Furthermore, the shifts toward generalist or opportunistic bacterial communities following warming weakened the linkage between bacterial diversity and functional diversity. Warming also increased the abundance of some organisms related to the N-cycle, detected as an increase in the relative abundance of nitrogenase genes via GeoChip microarray analyses. Our results demonstrate that soil microorganisms across a range of sub-Antarctic and Antarctic environments can respond consistently and rapidly to increasing temperatures, thereby potentially disrupting soil functioning. We conducted in situ warming experiments for three years using open-top chambers (OTCs) at one sub-Antarctic (Falkland Islands, 52ºS) and two Antarctic locations (Signy and Anchorage Islands, 60ºS and 67ºS respectively) (see Supplementary Fig. 1 for a map). OTCs increased annual soil temperature by an average of 0.8°C (at a depth of 5 cm), resulting in 8-43% increase in positive-degree days annually and a decrease in freeze-thaw cycle frequency by an average of 15 cycles per year (8). At each location, we included densely vegetated and bare fell-field soils in the experimental design for a total of six environments. Densely vegetated and bare environments represent two contrasting environments for Antarctic soil microorganisms, with large differences in terms of C and N inputs to soils. Massively parallel pyrosequencing (Roche 454 GS FLX Titanium) of 16S rRNA gene amplicons was used to follow bacterial diversity and community composition [GenBank Accession Numbers: HM641909-HM744649], and functional gene microarrays (GeoChip 2.0)(11) were used to assess changes in functional gene distribution. Bacterial and fungal communities were also quantified using real-time PCR.

Dataset Information

N2O-producing microorganisms in the gut of the earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa are indicative of ingested soil bacteria.

Publications

N2O-producing microorganisms in the gut of the earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa are indicative of ingested soil bacteria.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets