[The effect of combined and separate inoculation of alfalfa plants with Azospirillum lipoferum and Sinorhizobium meliloti on denitrification and nitrogen-fixing activities]

The effects of associative nitrogen fixer Azospirillum lipoferum strain 137 and root nodule bacteria Sinorhizobium meliloti after combined and separate inoculation of alfalfa seedlings on the background of mineral nitrogen applied at various times were studied. It was demonstrated that exudates of the alfalfa seedlings with the first pair of cotyledonary leaves already provide a high activity of these bacteria in the rhizosphere. To 74.6% of the introduced nitrate was transformed into N2O when the binary preparation of these bacteria was used. In an extended experiment (30 days), an active reduction of nitrates to N2O (11 micromol N2O/pot x 24 h) with inhibition of nitrogen fixation was observed in all of the experimental variants during the formation of legume-rhizobial and associative symbioses and simultaneous introduction of nitrates and bacteria. The most active enzyme fixation was observed in the case of a late (after 14 days) application of nitrates in the variants with both separate inoculations and inoculation with the binary preparation of A. lipoferum and S. meliloti. Separation in time of the application of bacterial preparations and mineral nitrogen assisted its preservation in all of the experimental variants. The variant of alfalfa inoculation with the binary preparation of A. lipoferum and S. meliloti and application of nitrates 2 weeks after inoculation was optimal for active nitrogen fixation (224.7 C2H4 nmol/flask x 24 h) and low denitrification activity (1.8 x micromol N2O/flask x 24 h). These results are useful in applied developments aimed at the use of bacterial and mineral fertilizers for leguminous plants.

Effects of specific inhibitors on anammox and denitrification in marine sediments

The effects of three metabolic inhibitors (acetylene, methanol, and allylthiourea [ATU]) on the pathways of N2 production were investigated by using short anoxic incubations of marine sediment with a 15N isotope technique. Acetylene inhibited ammonium oxidation through the anammox pathway as the oxidation rate decreased exponentially with increasing acetylene concentration; the rate decay constant was 0.10+/-0.02 microM-1, and there was 95% inhibition at approximately 30 microM. Nitrous oxide reduction, the final step of denitrification, was not sensitive to acetylene concentrations below 10 microM. However, nitrous oxide reduction was inhibited by higher concentrations, and the sensitivity was approximately one-half the sensitivity of anammox (decay constant, 0.049+/-0.004 microM-1; 95% inhibition at approximately 70 microM). Methanol specifically inhibited anammox with a decay constant of 0.79+/-0.12 mM-1, and thus 3 to 4 mM methanol was required for nearly complete inhibition. This level of methanol stimulated denitrification by approximately 50%. ATU did not have marked effects on the rates of anammox and denitrification. The profile of inhibitor effects on anammox agreed with the results of studies of the process in wastewater bioreactors, which confirmed the similarity between the anammox bacteria in bioreactors and natural environments. Acetylene and methanol can be used to separate anammox and denitrification, but the effects of these compounds on nitrification limits their use in studies of these processes in systems where nitrification is an important source of nitrate. The observed differential effects of acetylene and methanol on anammox and denitrification support our current understanding of the two main pathways of N2 production in marine sediments and the use of 15N isotope methods for their quantification.

Effect of pH, temperature and substrate on N2O, NO and CO2 production by Alcaligenes faecalis p

AIMS

To study the effect of pH, temperature and substrate on the magnitude of N(2)O and NO production by heterotrophic nitrifiers.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The change in N(2)O and NO production by the heterotrophic nitrifiers Alcaligenes faecalis subsp. parafaecalis and Paracoccus pantotrophus because of variations in pH, temperature and substrate was studied in chemostat cultures under steady-state conditions. N(2)O, NO and CO(2) production increased with temperature between 4 and 32 degrees C. For N(2)O an optimum temperature of 28 degrees C was observed. No optimum temperature was found for NO. Highest N(2)O and CO(2) productions were observed at a pH of 7.0. However, besides having an optimum at pH 7.0, especially NO production but also N(2)O production increased significantly at pH <or= 4.0. This increase in NO production under acidic conditions was partly because of chemo-denitrification, which contributed up to 62% of total NO production at pH 3.0 (0.8% for N(2)O). Furthermore, we could demonstrate that substrate quality significantly affects N(2)O, NO and CO(2) production. N(2)O and especially NO production by A. faecalis p. was significantly lower on an ammonium citrate medium when compared with rates obtained for a peptone-meat extract medium.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that heterotrophic nitrifiers are suitable model organisms to study the influence of environmental factors on microbial N trace gas production. SIGNIFICANCE IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results allow an improved description, e.g. of the pH dependency of N trace gas production by microbes and/or chemo-denitrification in process-oriented models describing the exchange of N trace gases between soils and the atmosphere.

Denitrification in the river estuaries of the northern Baltic Sea

Estuaries have been suggested to have an important role in reducing the nitrogen load transported to the sea. We measured denitrification rates in six estuaries of the northern Baltic Sea. Four of them were river mouths in the Bothnian Bay (northern Gulf of Bothnia), and two were estuary bays, one in the Archipelago Sea (southern Gulf of Bothnia) and the other in the Gulf of Finland. Denitrification rates in the four river mouths varied between 330 and 905 micromol N m(-2) d(-1). The estuary bays at the Archipelago Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia had denitrification rates from 90 micromol N m(-2) d(-1) to 910 micromol N m(-2) d(-1) and from 230 micromol N m(-2) d(-1) to 320 micromol N m(-2) d(-1), respectively. Denitrification removed 3.6-9.0% of the total nitrogen loading in the river mouths and in the estuary bay in the Gulf of Finland, where the residence times were short. In the estuary bay with a long residence time, in the Archipelago Sea, up to 4.5% of nitrate loading and 19% of nitrogen loading were removed before entering the sea. According to our results, the sediments of the fast-flowing rivers and the estuary areas with short residence times have a limited capacity to reduce the nitrogen load to the Baltic Sea.

Murine models of intestinal cancer: recent advances

Since the advent of strategies capable of manipulating the germline of mice, there has been a rapid expansion in the number of murine models of intestinal cancer. These have largely been developed with the specific aim of elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying tumour initiation and progression. In attempting this goal, these models have become increasingly sophisticated, allowing ever more precise recapitulation of the genetic events that underlie human disease. Such technological advances include both temporal and spatial control over mutant allele expression. This review highlights some of notable recent advances using these approaches, with particular focus upon the role of a number of key signalling pathways, DNA repair mechanisms and inflammation.

Directional asymmetry in the measured nitrous oxide time constant for middle ear transmucosal gas exchange

OBJECTIVES

Simple, 2-compartment mathematical models of middle ear (ME) transmucosal gas exchange reproduce observed ME pressure behavior. These models require input of an experimentally determined, lumped-parameter exchange constant for each represented gas species. Previous model applications assumed directional asymmetry for those parameters, which has not been experimentally validated.

METHODS

As a surrogate for the inert gas nitrogen (N2), for which exchange is too slow to be measurable, the nitrous oxide (N2O) transmucosal exchange constant for 16 ears of 8 monkeys was measured for positive and negative ME blood N20 gradients.

RESULTS

The paired exchange constants for each ear were highly correlated, but the ME-blood/blood-ME exchange constant ratio was approximately 13. Modeling shows this asymmetry to depend on the value of the arterial-venous/arterialME ratio, a variable in the exchange constant for perfusion-limited gases.

CONCLUSIONS

These results support an asymmetric rate of transmucosal N20 and, by extension, N2 exchange for the ME. Because the primary controlling parameter for ME pressure behavior in the absence of eustachian tube opening is the rate of transmucosal N2 exchange, this effect needs to be incorporated into the simple 2-compartment exchange models for predictive accuracy. The gradient ratio dependence suggests that parameter-free modeling may require treating the ME mucosa as having a distributed gradient for certain gas species.

[Influence of enhanced UV-B radiation on respiration rate and N2O emission from soil-winter wheat system]

To investigate the impact of enhanced UV-B radiation on respiration rate and N2O emission from soil-winter wheat system, outdoor pot experiments with simulating 20% supplemental of UV-B were conducted, and static dark chamber-gas chromatograph method were used. Results indicated that the enhanced UV-B radiation did not change the seasonal pattern of respiration rate and N2O emission. Enhanced UV-B radiation declined the rate of soil-winter wheat system's respiration but had no significant impact on N2O emission in turning-green stage. While enhanced UV-B radiation declined both respiration rate and the N2O emission in elongation-pregnant stage. From heading to maturity, the respiration rate and N2O emission from soil-winter wheat system were not found to be significantly difference under UV-B radiation compared with ambient conditions. A further analysis suggested that enhanced UV-B radiation declined significantly cumulative amount of N2O from soil-winter wheat system from wheat turning green to full heading stage, while no significant impact occurred from full heading to maturity.

Weakly Bound Complexes of N2O: An ab Initio Theoretical Analysis Toward the Design of N2O Receptors

Ab initio calculations at MP2/6-311++G(2d,2p) and MP2/6-311++G(3df,3pd) computational levels have been used to analyze the interactions between nitrous oxide and a series of small and large molecules that act simultaneously as hydrogen bond donors and electron donors. The basis set superposition error (BSSE) and zero point energy (ZPE) corrected binding energies of small N2O complexes (H2O, NH3, HOOH, HOO*, HONH2, HCO2H, H2CO, HCONH2, H2CNH, HC(NH)NH2, SH2, H2CS, HCSOH, HCSNH2) vary between -0.93 and -2.90 kcal/mol at MP2/6-311++G(3df,3pd) level, and for eight large complexes of N2O they vary between -2.98 and -3.37 kcal/mol at the MP2/6-311++G(2d,2p) level. The most strongly bound among small N2O complexes (HCSNH2-N2O) contains a NH..N bond, along with S-->N interactions, and the most unstable (H2S-N2O) contains just S-->N interactions. The electron density properties have been analyzed within the atoms in molecules (AIM) methodology. Results of the present study open a window into the nature of the interactions between N2O with other molecular moieties and open the possibility to design N2O abiotic receptors.

Screening and characterization of bacteria that can utilize ammonium and nitrate ions simultaneously under controlled cultural conditions

Eighteen bacterial stock cultures were examined for their ability to utilize NH(4)(+) and NO(3)(-) simultaneously in a medium containing NH(4)NO(3) with shaking using a test tube capped with a cotton stopper. Pseudomonas aeruginosa NBRC 12689 utilized 1 mg/ml of NH(4)NO(3) most rapidly of the cultures tested. The bacterium could completely utilize 5 mg/ml of NH(4)NO(3) within 3 d, 6 mg/ml of NH(4)Cl within 3 d, and 20 mg/ml of NaNO(3) within 2 d under optimum conditions. The addition of Fe(2+) to the NH(4)NO(3) medium markedly promoted the utilization of the two ions. When the Pseudomonas strain utilized 5 mg/ml of NH(4)NO(3) completely, the total nitrogen in the culture including its cells decreased to 41% of that of the NH(4)NO(3) originally provided. GC-MS analysis showed that the removed nitrogen was probably denitrified. When the bacterium was incubated in the NH(4)NO(3) medium with shaking in a vial sealed with a rubber stopper, N(2) accumulated, but not N(2)O at the final phase of cultivation. On the other hand, both N(2) and N(2)O were detected in the NaNO(3) medium. We concluded that the bacterium removed NH(4)(+) from NH(4)NO(3) as a nitrogen source for its cell components, together with the denitrification of NO(3)(-) under controlled shaking conditions. In addition, NH(4)(+) promoted the cell growth of the bacterium and denitrification to N(2), preventing the accumulation of N(2)O.

Fluxes of N2O, CH4 and CO2 in a meadow ecosystem exposed to elevated ozone and carbon dioxide for three years

Open-top chambers (OTCs) were used to evaluate the effects of moderately elevated O3 (40-50 ppb) and CO2 (+100 ppm) and their combination on N2O, CH4 and CO2 fluxes from ground-planted meadow mesocosms. Bimonthly measurements in 2002-2004 showed that the daily fluxes of N2O, CH4 and CO2 reacted mainly to elevated O3, while the fluxes of CO2 also responded to elevated CO2. However, the fluxes did not show any marked response when elevated O3 and CO2 were combined. N2O and CO2 emissions were best explained by soil water content and air and soil temperatures, and they were not clearly associated with potential nitrification and denitrification. Our results suggest that the increasing O3 and/or CO2 concentrations may affect the N2O, CH4 and CO2 fluxes from the soil, but longer study periods are needed to verify the actual consequences of climate change for greenhouse gas emissions.

A new assay for nitric oxide reductase reveals two conserved glutamate residues form the entrance to a proton-conducting channel in the bacterial enzyme

A specific amperometric assay was developed for the membrane-bound NOR [NO (nitric oxide) reductase] from the model denitrifying bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans using its natural electron donor, pseudoazurin, as a co-substrate. The method allows the rapid and specific assay of NO reduction catalysed by recombinant NOR expressed in the cytoplasmic membranes of Escherichia coli. The effect on enzyme activity of substituting alanine, aspartate or glutamine for two highly conserved glutamate residues, which lie in a periplasmic facing loop between transmembrane helices III and IV in the catalytic subunit of NOR, was determined using this method. Three of the substitutions (E122A, E125A and E125D) lead to an almost complete loss of NOR activity. Some activity is retained when either Glu122 or Glu125 is substituted with a glutamine residue, but only replacement of Glu122 with an aspartate residue retains a high level of activity. These results are interpreted in terms of these residues forming the mouth of a channel that conducts substrate protons to the active site of NOR during turnover. This channel is also likely to be that responsible in the coupling of proton movement to electron transfer during the oxidation of fully reduced NOR with oxygen [U. Flock, N. J. Watmough and P. Adelroth (2005) Biochemistry 44, 10711-10719].

NOx monitoring of a simultaneous nitrifying-denitrifying (SND) activated sludge plant at different oxidation reduction potentials

Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) allows biological nitrogen removal in a single reactor without separation of the two processes in time or space but requires adapted control strategies (anoxic/aerobic conditions). In this study, the formation of gaseous nitric oxide (NO(G)) and nitrogen dioxide (NO(2G)) was monitored for SND in relation to the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and nitrogen removal in a lab batch reactor and a pilot membrane bio-reactor (MBR). In addition hospital wastewater (COD/N(tot)>6:1) was treated on site for 1 year. The highest total nitrogen removal rates of max 90% were reached at 220-240mV ORP (given as E(h)) with corresponding maximal NO(G) emissions rates of 0.9microgg(-1)VSSh(-1). The maximal emission rates of NO(2G) (0.2microgg(-1)VSSh(-1)) were reached at the same ORP level and the NO(2G) emissions correlated to the nitrite accumulation in the activated sludge up to 5mgl(-1)NO(2L)-N. It was shown that this correlation was due to biological production and not due to pH-dependent chemical conversion. Therefore, NO(2G) can be used as additional control loop for ORP-controlled SND systems to avoid the inhibition of denitrification and high nitrite concentrations in the plant effluent.

[Pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure. Part XII. Nitrous oxide and phosphodiesterase inhibitors in the treatment of primary pulmonary arterial hypertension]

In a series of articles the authors discuss literature data concerning epidemiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), its modern classification; peculiarities of its pathogenesis and treatment in various diseases and conditions. The twelfth communication contains consideration of inhaled nitrous oxide and three available inhibitors of phosphodiesterase type 5 (sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil). The place of nitrous oxide in diagnostics and short term treatment of PAH is discussed. Analysis of results of randomized controlled studies assessing efficacy and safety of sildenafil in patients with primary (idiopathic) PAH and PAH associated with connective tissue diseases and congenital heart diseases with systemic-to-pulmonary shunts is presented.

Oxygen exchange between (de)nitrification intermediates and H2O and its implications for source determination of NO3- and N2O: a review

Stable isotope analysis of oxygen (O) is increasingly used to determine the origin of nitrate (NO(3)-) and nitrous oxide (N(2)O) in the environment. The assumption underlying these studies is that the (18)O signature of NO(3)- and N(2)O provides information on the different O sources (O(2) and H(2)O) during the production of these compounds by various biochemical pathways. However, exchange of O atoms between H(2)O and intermediates of the (de)nitrification pathways may change the isotopic signal and thereby bias its interpretation for source determination. Chemical exchange of O between H(2)O and various nitrogenous oxides has been reported, but the probability and extent of its occurrence in terrestrial ecosystems remain unclear. Biochemical O exchange between H(2)O and nitrogenous oxides, NO(2)- in particular, has been reported for monocultures of many nitrifiers and denitrifiers that are abundant in nature, with exchange rates of up to 100%. Therefore, biochemical O exchange is likely to be important in most soil ecosystems, and should be taken into account in source determination studies. Failing to do so might lead to (i) an overestimation of nitrification as NO(3)- source, and (ii) an overestimation of nitrifier denitrification and nitrification-coupled denitrification as N(2)O production pathways. A method to quantify the rate and controls of biochemical O exchange in ecosystems is needed, and we argue this can only be done reliably with artificially enriched (18)O compounds. We conclude that in N source determination studies, the O isotopic signature of especially N(2)O should only be used with extreme caution.

Nitrogen cycling of atmosphere-plant-soil system in the typical Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland in the Sanjiang Plain, northeast China

The nitrogen (N) distribution and cycling of atmosphere-plant-soil system in the typical meadow Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland (TMCW) and marsh meadow Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland (MMCW) in the Sanjiang plain were studied by a compartment model. The results showed that the N wet deposition amount was 0.757 gN/(m2 x a), and total inorganic N (TIN) was the main body (0.640 gN/(m2 x a). The ammonia volatilization amounts of TMCW and MMCW soils in growing season were 0.635 and 0.687 gN/m2, and the denitrification gaseous lost amounts were 0.617 and 0.405 gN/m2, respectively. In plant subsystem, the N was mainly stored in root and litter. Soil organic N was the main N storage of the two plant-soil systems and the proportions of it were 93.98% and 92.16%, respectively. The calculation results of N turnovers among compartments of TMCW and MMCW showed that the uptake amounts of root were 23.02 and 28.18 gN/(m2 x a) and the values of aboveground were 11.31 and 6.08 gN/(m2 x a), the re-translocation amounts from aboveground to root were 5.96 and 2.70 gN/(m2 x a), the translocation amounts from aboveground living body to litter were 5.35 and 3.38 gN/(m2 x a), the translocation amounts from litter to soil were larger than 1.55 and 3.01 gN/(m2 x a), the translocation amounts from root to soil were 14.90 and 13.17 gN/(m2 x a), and the soil (0-15 cm) N net mineralization amounts were 1.94 and 0.55 gN/(m2 x a), respectively. The study of N balance indicated that the two plant-soil systems might be situated in the status of lacking N, and the status might induce the degradation of C. angustifolia wetland.

Respiratory transformation of nitrous oxide (N2O) to dinitrogen by Bacteria and Archaea

N2O is a potent greenhouse gas and stratospheric reactant that has been steadily on the rise since the beginning of industrialization. It is an obligatory inorganic metabolite of denitrifying bacteria, and some production of N2O is also found in nitrifying and methanotrophic bacteria. We focus this review on the respiratory aspect of N2O transformation catalysed by the multicopper enzyme nitrous oxide reductase (N2OR) that provides the bacterial cell with an electron sink for anaerobic growth. Two types of Cu centres discovered in N2OR were both novel structures among the Cu proteins: the mixed-valent dinuclear Cu(A) species at the electron entry site of the enzyme, and the tetranuclear Cu(Z) centre as the first catalytically active Cu-sulfur complex known. Several accessory proteins function as Cu chaperone and ABC transporter systems for the biogenesis of the catalytic centre. We describe here the paradigm of Z-type N2OR, whose characteristics have been studied in most detail in the genera Pseudomonas and Paracoccus. Sequenced bacterial genomes now provide an invaluable additional source of information. New strains harbouring nos genes and capability of N2O utilization are being uncovered. This reveals previously unknown relationships and allows pattern recognition and predictions. The core nos genes, nosZDFYL, share a common phylogeny. Most principal taxonomic lineages follow the same biochemical and genetic pattern and share the Z-type enzyme. A modified N2OR is found in Wolinella succinogenes, and circumstantial evidence also indicates for certain Archaea another type of N2OR. The current picture supports the view of evolution of N2O respiration prior to the separation of the domains Bacteria and Archaea. Lateral nos gene transfer from an epsilon-proteobacterium as donor is suggested for Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum and Dechloromonas aromatica. In a few cases, nos gene clusters are plasmid borne. Inorganic N2O metabolism is associated with a diversity of physiological traits and biochemically challenging metabolic modes or habitats, including halorespiration, diazotrophy, symbiosis, pathogenicity, psychrophily, thermophily, extreme halophily and the marine habitat down to the greatest depth. Components for N2O respiration cover topologically the periplasm and the inner and outer membranes. The Sec and Tat translocons share the task of exporting Nos components to their functional sites. Electron donation to N2OR follows pathways with modifications depending on the host organism. A short chronology of the field is also presented.

Nitrous oxide nitrification and denitrification 15N enrichment factors from Amazon forest soils

The isotopic signatures of 15N and 18O in N2O emitted from tropical soils vary both spatially and temporally, leading to large uncertainty in the overall tropical source signature and thereby limiting the utility of isotopes in constraining the global N2O budget. Determining the reasons for spatial and temporal variations in isotope signatures requires that we know the isotope enrichment factors for nitrification and denitrification, the two processes that produce N2O in soils. We have devised a method for measuring these enrichment factors using soil incubation experiments and report results from this method for three rain forest soils collected in the Brazilian Amazon: soil with differing sand and clay content from the Tapajos National Forest (TNF) near Santarém, Pará, and Nova Vida Farm, Rondônia. The 15N enrichment factors for nitrification and denitrification differ with soil texture and site: -111 per thousand +/- 12 per thousand and -31 per thousand +/- 11 per thousand for a clay-rich Oxisol (TNF), -102 per thousand +/- 5 per thousand and -45 per thousand +/- 5 per thousand for a sandier Ultisol (TNF), and -10.4 per thousand +/- 3.5 per thousand (enrichment factor for denitrification) for another Ultisol (Nova Vida) soil, respectively. We also show that the isotopomer site preference (delta15Nalpha - delta15Nbeta, where alpha indicates the central nitrogen atom and beta the terminal nitrogen atom in N2O) may allow differentiation between processes of production and consumption of N2O and can potentially be used to determine the contributions of nitrification and denitrification. The site preferences for nitrification and denitrification from the TNF-Ultisol incubated soils are: 4.2 per thousand +/- 8.4 per thousand and 31.6 per thousand +/- 8.1 per thousand, respectively. Thus, nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria populations under the conditions of our study exhibit significantly different 15N site preference fingerprints. Our data set strongly suggests that N2O isotopomers can be used in concert with traditional N2O stable isotope measurements as constraints to differentiate microbial N2O processes in soil and will contribute to interpretations of the isotopic site preference N2O values found in the free troposphere.

Quantifying the contribution of nitrification and denitrification to the nitrous oxide flux using 15N tracers

Microbial transformations of nitrification and denitrification are the main sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) from soils. Relative contributions of both processes to N2O emissions were estimated on an agricultural soil using 15N isotope tracers (15NH4+ or 15NO3-), for a 10-day batch experiment. Under unsaturated and saturated conditions, both processes were significantly involved in N2O production. Under unsaturated conditions, 60% of N-N2O came from nitrification, while denitrification contributed around 85-90% under saturated conditions. Estimated nitrification rates were not significantly different whatever the soil moisture content, whereas the proportion of nitrified N emitted as N2O changed from 0.13 to 2.32%. In coherence with previous studies, we interpreted this high value as resulting from the decrease in O2 availability through the increase in soil moisture content. It thus appears that, under limiting aeration conditions, some values for N2O emissions through nitrification could be underestimated.

N fertilization effects on denitrification and N cycling in an aggrading forest

We investigated N cycling and denitrification rates following five years of N and dolomite amendments to whole-tree harvested forest plots at the long-term soil productivity experiment in the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia, USA. We hypothesized that changes in soil chemistry and nutrient cycling induced by N fertilization would increase denitrification rates and the N2O:N2 ratio. Soils from the fertilized plots had a lower pH (2.96) than control plots (3.22) and plots that received fertilizer and dolomite (3.41). There were no significant differences in soil %C or %N between treatments. Chloroform-labile microbial biomass carbon was lower in fertilized plots compared to control plots, though this trend was not significant. Extractable soil NO3- was elevated in fertilized plots on each sample date. Soil-extractable NH4+, NO3-, pH, microbial biomass carbon, and %C varied significantly by sample date suggesting important seasonal patterns in soil chemistry and N cycling. In particular, the steep decline in extractable NH4+ during the growing season is consistent with the high N demands of a regenerating forest. Net N mineralization and nitrification also varied by date but were not affected by the fertilization and dolomite treatments. In a laboratory experiment, denitrification was stimulated by NO3- additions in soils collected from all field plots, but this effect was stronger in soils from the unfertilized control plots, suggesting that chronic N fertilization has partially alleviated a NO3- limitation on denitrification rates. Dextrose stimulated denitrification only in the whole-tree-harvest soils. Denitrification enzyme activity varied by sample date and was elevated in fertilized plots for soil collected in July 2000 and June 2001. There were no detectable treatment effects on N2O or N2 flux from soils under anaerobic conditions, though there was strong temporal variation. These results suggest that whole-tree harvesting has altered the N status of these soils so they are less prone to N saturation than more mature forests. It is likely that N losses associated with the initial harvest and high N demand by aggrading vegetation is minimizing, at least temporarily, the amount of inorganic N available for nitrification and denitrification, even in the fertilized plots in this experiment.

Regulation of denitrification genes in Neisseria meningitidis by nitric oxide and the repressor NsrR

The human pathogen Neisseria meningitidis is capable of growth using the denitrification of nitrite to nitrous oxide under microaerobic conditions. This process is catalyzed by two reductases: nitrite reductase (encoded by aniA) and nitric oxide (NO) reductase (encoded by norB). Here, we show that in N. meningitidis MC58 norB is regulated by nitric oxide via the product of gene NMB0437 which encodes NsrR. NsrR is a repressor in the absence of NO, but norB expression is derepressed by NO in an NsrR-dependent manner. nsrR-deficient mutants grow by denitrification more rapidly than wild-type N. meningitidis, and this is coincident with the upregulation of both NO reductase and nitrite reductase even under aerobic conditions in the absence of nitrite or NO. The NsrR-dependent repression of aniA (unlike that of norB) is not lifted in the presence of NO. The role of NsrR in the control of expression of aniA is linked to the function of the anaerobic activator protein FNR: analysis of nsrR and fnr single and nsrR fnr double mutants carrying an aniA promoter lacZ fusion indicates that the role of NsrR is to prevent FNR-dependent aniA expression under aerobic conditions, indicating that FNR in N. meningitidis retains considerable activity aerobically.

[Effects of soil moisture and temperature on N2O production rate of meadow grassland soil]

With incubation test, this paper studied the effects of soil moisture and temperature on the N2O production rate of meadow grassland chernozem in Inner Mongolia. The results showed that soil moisture had a significant effect on the N2O production rate, with a non-linear relationship between them. Soil temperature had less effect than soil moisture. Their effects on the test soil N2O production rate at different growth stages could be described as a multi-order polynomial relationship y = ax3 + bx2 + cx + d, where a, b, c and d were the constants.

Soil electrical conductivity and water content affect nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions in intensively managed soils

Accumulation of soluble salts resulting from fertilizer N may affect microbial production of N(2)O and CO(2) in soils. This study was conducted to determine the effects of electrical conductivity (EC) and water content on N(2)O and CO(2) production in five soils under intensive cropping. Surface soils from maize fields were washed, repacked and brought to 60% or 90% water-filled pore space (WFPS). Salt mixtures were added to achieve an initial in situ soil EC of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 dS m(-1). The soil cores were incubated at 25 degrees C for 10 d. Average CO(2) production decreased with increasing EC at both soil water contents, indicating a general reduction in microbial respiration with increasing EC. Average cumulative N(2)O production at 60% WFPS decreased from 2.0 mg N(2)O-N m(-2) at an initial EC of 0.5 dS m(-1) to 0.86 mg N(2)O-N m(-2) at 2.0 dS m(-1). At 90% WFPS, N(2)O production was 2 to 40 times greater than that at 60% WFPS and maximum N(2)O losses occurred at the highest EC level of 2.0 dS m(-1). Differences in the magnitude of gas emissions at varying WFPS were due to available substrate N and the predominance of nitrification under aerobic conditions (60% WFPS) and denitrification when oxygen was limited (90% WFPS). Differences in gas emissions at varying soil EC may be due to changes in mechanisms of adjustment to salt stress and ion toxicities by microbial communities. Direct effects of EC on microbial respiration and N(2)O emissions need to be accounted for in ecosystems models for predicting soil greenhouse gas emissions.

Emission of the greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane from constructed wetlands in europe

The potential atmospheric impact of constructed wetlands (CWs) should be examined as there is a worldwide increase in the development of these systems. Fluxes of N(2)O, CH(4), and CO(2) have been measured from CWs in Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Poland during winter and summer in horizontal and vertical subsurface flow (HSSF and VSSF), free surface water (FSW), and overland and groundwater flow (OGF) wetlands. The fluxes of N(2)O-N, CH(4)-C, and CO(2)-C ranged from -2.1 to 1000, -32 to 38 000, and -840 to 93 000 mg m(-2) d(-1), respectively. Emissions of N(2)O and CH(4) were significantly higher during summer than during winter. The VSSF wetlands had the highest fluxes of N(2)O during both summer and winter. Methane emissions were highest from the FSW wetlands during wintertime. In the HSSF wetlands, the emissions of N(2)O and CH(4) were in general highest in the inlet section. The vegetated ponds in the FSW wetlands released more N(2)O than the nonvegetated ponds. The global warming potential (GWP), summarizing the mean N(2)O and CH(4) emissions, ranged from 5700 to 26000 and 830 to 5100 mg CO(2) equivalents m(-2) d(-1) for the four CW types in summer and winter, respectively. The wintertime GWP was 8.5 to 89.5% of the corresponding summertime GWP, which highlights the importance of the cold season in the annual greenhouse gas release from north temperate and boreal CWs. However, due to their generally small area North European CWs were suggested to represent only a minor source for atmospheric N(2)O and CH(4).

Vertical distribution of denitrification in an estuarine sediment: integrating sediment flowthrough reactor experiments and microprofiling via reactive transport modeling

Denitrifying activity in a sediment from the freshwater part of a polluted estuary in northwest Europe was quantified using two independent approaches. High-resolution N(2)O microprofiles were recorded in sediment cores to which acetylene was added to the overlying water and injected laterally into the sediment. The vertical distribution of the rate of denitrification supported by nitrate uptake from the overlying water was then derived from the time series N(2)O concentration profiles. The rates obtained for the core incubations were compared to the rates predicted by a forward reactive transport model, which included rate expression for denitrification calibrated with potential rate measurements obtained in flowthrough reactors containing undisturbed, 1-cm-thick sediment slices. The two approaches yielded comparable rate profiles, with a near-surface, 2- to 3-mm narrow zone of denitrification and maximum in situ rates on the order of 200 to 300 nmol cm(-3) h(-1). The maximum in situ rates were about twofold lower than the maximum potential rate for the 0- to 1-cm depth interval of the sediment, indicating that in situ denitrification was nitrate limited. The experimentally and model-derived rates of denitrification implied that there was nitrate uptake by the sediment at a rate that was on the order of 50 (+/- 10) nmol cm(-2) h(-1), which agreed well with direct nitrate flux measurements for core incubations. Reactive transport model calculations showed that benthic uptake of nitrate at the site is particularly sensitive to the nitrate concentration in the overlying water and the maximum potential rate of denitrification in the sediment.