Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Pages: 119-136

Journal: Biogeochemistry

Volume number: 161

Issue number: 2

ISSN: 0168-2563

eISSN: 1573-515X

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-022-00971-3

Publisher: Springer

Abstract: 
Peatlands are an important source of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, which is a potent greenhouse gas and is also involved in the depletion of stratospheric ozone. Due to the large number of N2O production and consumption processes, it is challenging to trace N2O emissions to an individual process. We investigated the effect of different water regimes (dry, intermediate and flooded) on N2O emissions via N-15 tracing in a microcosm study with well-decomposed nitrogen-rich alluvial fen peat. The isotopic composition of the peat and emitted N2O gas was analysed in combination with qPCR analysis of abundances and diversity of N-cycle functional genes. Bacterial denitrification was the predominant source of N2O emission, followed by nitrification (ammonia oxidation). This was identified by a close relationship between N-15-N2O and N-15-NO3- under flooded (anoxic) and intermediate (sub-oxic) treatments and concomitant increases in nirK, nirS and nosZ after the flooding. The site preference and delta O-18 values fell within the previously observed range indicating multiple overlapping processes and bacterial denitrification as the dominant process. Although the combination of isotopic and microbial analyses indicates that bacterial denitrification is the primary process under intermediate and flooded treatments, the high abundance of amoA indicates that nitrification via comammox was present. High archaeal amoA and bacterial amoA gene copy numbers and second highest N2O emissions under the intermediate and flooded peats indicated that ammonia oxidation was, secondary to denitrification, also a source for N2O. The increase in emissions with nrfA gene copies also showed that dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) potentially contributed to N2O emission under flooded treatment.

Harvard Citation style: Masta, M., Espenberg, M., Gadegaonkar, S., Pärn, J., Sepp, H., Kirsimäe, K., et al. (2022) Integrated isotope and microbiome analysis indicates dominance of denitrification in N2O production after rewetting of drained fen peat, Biogeochemistry, 161(2), pp. 119-136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-022-00971-3

APA Citation style: Masta, M., Espenberg, M., Gadegaonkar, S., Pärn, J., Sepp, H., Kirsimäe, K., Sgouridis, F., Müller, C., & Mander, Ü. (2022). Integrated isotope and microbiome analysis indicates dominance of denitrification in N2O production after rewetting of drained fen peat. Biogeochemistry. 161(2), 119-136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-022-00971-3