Dynamic Linkages between Denitrification Functional Genes/Enzymes and Biogeochemical Reaction Rates of Nitrate and Its Reduction Products

Abstract:

Denitrification is a respiratory process in which oxidized nitrogen compounds are used as alternative electron acceptors for energy production when oxygen is limited. Denitrification is an important process that not only accounts for the significant loss of nitrogen fertilizers from soils but also leads to NO, N₂O and CO₂ emissions, which are important greenhouse gas species. In this study, denitrification was investigated in Columbia River sediments, focusing on the dynamic linkages between functional genes/enzymes and biogeochemical reaction rates of nitrate and its reduction products. NO₃^-, NO₂^- and N₂O were assayed in different incubation time. DNA was extracted from the sediments and functional genes were quantified as a function of time during the denitrification. Functional enzymes were extracted from the sediments and measured using a newly developed, targeted protein method. The biogeochemical, functional gene, and enzyme data were collectively used to establish the dynamic correlation of functional genes/enzymes and biogeochemical reaction rates. The results provide fundamental insights regarding the dynamic regulation of functional genes and enzymes in the processes of denitrification and greenhouse gas production, and also provide experimental data critical for the development of biogeochemical reaction models that incorporate genome-scale insights and describe macroscopic biogeochemical reaction rates in ecosystems.