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Multiple Factors Affect Diversity and Abundance of Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms in Iron Mine Soil

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Abstract

Ammonia oxidation by microorganisms is a critical process in the nitrogen cycle. In this study, four soil samples collected from a desert zone in an iron-exploration area and others from farmland and planted forest soil in an iron mine surrounding area. We analyzed the abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in iron-mining area near the Miyun reservoir using ammonia monooxygenase. A subunit gene (amoA) as molecular biomarker. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was applied to explore the relationships between the abundance of AOA and AOB and soil physicochemical parameters. The results showed that AOA were more abundant than AOB and may play a more dominant role in the ammonia-oxidizing process in the whole region. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was used to analyze the structural changes of AOA and AOB. The results showed that AOB were much more diverse than AOA. Nitrosospira cluster three constitute the majority of AOB, and AOA were dominated by group 1.1b in the soil. Redundancy analysis was performed to explore the physicochemical parameters potentially important to AOA and AOB. Soil characteristics (i.e. water, ammonia, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and soil type) were proposed to potentially contribute to the distributions of AOB, whereas Cd was also closely correlated to the distributions of AOB. The community of AOA correlated with ammonium and water contents. These results highlight the importance of multiple drivers in microbial niche formation as well as their affect on ammonia oxidizer composition, both which have significant consequences for ecosystem nitrogen functioning.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41273091), Beijing Nova Program (Grant No. Z111106054511043), International Joint Key Project from Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (Grant No. 2010DFA12780), National Outstanding Youth Research Foundation of China (Grant No. 40925010), International Joint Key Project from National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40920134003), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41273092).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Key Laboratory of Metal and Mine Efficiently Exploiting and Safety, Ministry of Education, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Xueyuan Road No.30, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China

    Yi Xing, Yan-Xiao Si, Chen Hong & Yang Li

  2. Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shuangqing Road No. 18, Haidian District, Beijing, 100085, China

    Chen Hong

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  1. Yi Xing
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  2. Yan-Xiao Si
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  3. Chen Hong
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Correspondence to Chen Hong.

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Xing, Y., Si, YX., Hong, C. et al. Multiple Factors Affect Diversity and Abundance of Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms in Iron Mine Soil. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 69, 20–31 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-015-0144-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-015-0144-9

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