Efficiency Strategies for Community Assembly Processes of Soil Ammonia Oxidisers | Original Article

ABSTRACT:

Directly, by providing nitrite and, after further oxidation, nitrate to denitrifiers, the bacterial and archaeal nitrification of ammonia is a substantial source to worldwide NOx emissions. Due to the huge and continuous increases in the usage of ammonia-based fertilisers, which have been driven by the demand for higher food production but also serve as a source of energy for ammonia oxidizers, terrestrial settings are the primary contributors to growing N2 O emissions (AO). Many metabolic processes in AO, sometimes in conjunction with abiotic mechanisms, lead to the direct synthesis of N2 O. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and comammox bacteria all have their own unique physiological traits and methods for producing N2 O, which set them apart from one another. In terms of N2 O production, AOB much outstrips the other two types. Many studies have shown that AOA and AOB live in discrete ecological niches because of the differences between their natural and man-made habitats. For instance, low soil pH and a slow rate of ammonium delivery promote AOA, which is similar to the use of delayed-release fertiliser, while a rapid rate of supply promotes AOB, which is similar to the use of highly concentrated inorganic ammonium or urea. These differences between AOA and AOB provide a potential avenue for improved fertilisation strategies, which might lead to greater fertiliser use efficiency and reduced N2 O emissions from agricultural soils. In this piece, we examine how community-assembly processes form the basis of effective treatments for soil ammonia oxidizers.