Dataset Information

Mediation of nitrogen by post-disturbance shelf communities experiencing organic matter enrichment.

ABSTRACT: Microbes and benthic macro-invertebrates interact in sediments to play a major role in the biogeochemical cycling of organic matter, but the extent to which their contributions are modified following natural and anthropogenic changes has received little attention. Here, we investigate how nitrogen transformations, ascertained from changes in archaeal and bacterial N-cycling microbes and water macronutrient concentrations ([NH4-N], [NO2-N], [NO3-N]), in sand and sandy mud sediments differ when macrofaunal communities that have previously experienced contrasting levels of chronic fishing disturbance are exposed to organic matter enrichment. We find that differences in macrofaunal community structure related to differences in fishing activity affect the capacity of the macrofauna to mediate microbial nitrogen cycling in sand, but not in sandy mud environments. Whilst we found no evidence for a change in ammonia oxidiser community structure, we did find an increase in archaeal and bacterial denitrifier (AnirKa, nirS) and anammox (hzo) transcripts in macrofaunal communities characterized by higher ratios of suspension to deposit feeders, and a lower density but higher biomass of sediment-reworking fauna. Our findings suggest that nitrogen transformation in shelf sandy sediments is dependent on the stimulation of specific nitrogen cycling pathways that are associated with differences in the composition and context-dependent expression of the functional traits that belong to the resident bioturbating macrofauna community.

SUBMITTER: Sciberras M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6961516 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Mediation of nitrogen by post-disturbance shelf communities experiencing organic matter enrichment.

Sciberras Marija M Tait Karen K Brochain Guillaume G Hiddink Jan G JG Hale Rachel R Godbold Jasmin A JA Solan Martin M

Biogeochemistry 20170829 1

Microbes and benthic macro-invertebrates interact in sediments to play a major role in the biogeochemical cycling of organic matter, but the extent to which their contributions are modified following natural and anthropogenic changes has received little attention. Here, we investigate how nitrogen transformations, ascertained from changes in archaeal and bacterial N-cycling microbes and water macronutrient concentrations ([NH4-N], [NO2-N], [NO3-N]), in sand and s ...[more]

PMID: 32009695

Similar Datasets

Project description:Vegetation fires are known to have broad geochemical effects on carbon (C) cycles in the Earth system, yet limited information is available for nitrogen (N). In this study, we evaluated how charring organic matter (OM) to pyrogenic OM (PyOM) altered the N molecular structure and affected subsequent C and N mineralization. Nitrogen near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) of uncharred OM, PyOM, PyOM toluene extract, and PyOM after toluene extraction were used to predict PyOM-C and -N mineralization potentials. PyOM was produced from three different plants (e.g. Maize-Zea mays L.; Ryegrass-Lollium perenne L.; and Willow-Salix viminalix L.) each with varying initial N contents at three pyrolysis temperatures (350, 500 and 700?°C). Mineralization of C and N was measured from incubations of uncharred OM and PyOM in a sand matrix for 256?days at 30?°C. As pyrolysis temperature increased from 350 to 700?°C, aromatic C[bond, double bond]N in 6-membered rings (putative) increased threefold. Aromatic C[bond, double bond]N in 6-membered oxygenated ring increased sevenfold, and quaternary aromatic N doubled. Initial uncharred OM-N content was positively correlated with the proportion of heterocyclic aromatic N in PyOM (R2?=?0.44; P?<?0.0001; n?=?42). A 55% increase of aromatic N heterocycles at high OM-N content, when compared to low OM-N content, suggests that higher concentrations of N favor the incorporation of N atoms into aromatic structures by overcoming the energy barrier associated with the electronic and atomic configuration of the C structure. A ten-fold increase of aromatic C[bond, double bond]N in 6-membered rings (putative) in PyOM (as proportion of all PyOM-N) decreased C mineralization by 87%, whereas total N contents and C:N ratios of PyOM had no effects on C mineralization of PyOM-C for both pyrolysis temperatures (for PyOM-350?°C, R2?=?0.15; P?<?0.27; for PyOM-700?°C, R2?=?0.22; P?<?0.21). Oxidized aromatic N in PyOM toluene extracts correlated with higher C mineralization, whereas aromatic N in 6-membered heterocycles correlated with reduced C mineralization (R2?=?0.56; P?=?0.001; n?=?100). Similarly, aromatic N in 6-membered heterocycles in PyOM remaining after toluene extraction reduced PyOM-C mineralization (R2?=?0.49; P?=?0.0006; n?=?100). PyOM-C mineralization increased when N atoms were located at the edge of the C network in the form of oxidized N functionalities or when more N was found in PyOM toluene extracts and was more accessible to microbial oxidation. These results confirm the hypothesis that C persistence of fire-derived OM is significantly affected by its molecular N structure and the presented quantitative structure-activity relationship can be utilized for predictive modeling purposes.

Dataset Information

Mediation of nitrogen by post-disturbance shelf communities experiencing organic matter enrichment.

Publications

Mediation of nitrogen by post-disturbance shelf communities experiencing organic matter enrichment.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets