Controls and significance of priming effects in lake sediments.

Warming and eutrophication influence carbon (C) processing in sediments, with implications for the global greenhouse-gas budget. Temperature effects on sedimentary C loss are well understood, but the mechanism of change in turnover through priming with labile organic matter (OM) is not. Evaluating changes in the magnitude of priming as a function of warming, eutrophication, and OM stoichiometry, we incubated sediments with 13 C-labeled fresh organic matter (FOM, algal/cyanobacterial) and simulated future climate scenarios (+4°C and +8°C). We investigated FOM-induced production of CH4 and microbial community changes. C loss was primed by up to 17% in dominantly allochthonous sediments (ranging from 5% to 17%), compared to up to 6% in autochthonous sediments (-9% to 6%), suggesting that refractory OM is more susceptible to priming. The magnitude of priming was dependent on sediment OM stoichiometry (C/N ratio), the ratio of fresh labile OM to microbial biomass (FOM/MB), and temperature. Priming was strongest at 4°C when FOM/MB was below 50%. Addition of FOM was associated with activation and growth of bacterial decomposers, including for example, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, or Fibrobacteres, known for their potential to degrade insoluble and complex structural biopolymers. Using sedimentary C/N > 15 as a threshold, we show that in up to 35% of global lakes, sedimentation is dominated by allochthonous rather than autochthonous material. We then provide first-order estimates showing that, upon increase in phytoplankton biomass in these lakes, priming-enabled degradation of recalcitrant OM will release up to 2.1 Tg C annually, which would otherwise be buried for geological times.

Improving the accuracy of δ18 O and δ17 O values of O2 measured by continuous-flow isotope-ratio mass spectrometry with a multipoint isotope-ratio calibration.

RATIONALE: Stable isotope analysis of O2 is a valuable tool to identify O2 -consuming processes in the environment; however, reference materials for O2 isotope analysis are lacking. Consequently, a one-point calibration with O2 from ambient air is often applied, which can lead to substantial measurement uncertainties. Our goals were to develop a simple multipoint isotope-ratio calibration approach and to determine measurement errors of δ18 O and δ17 O values of O2 associated with a one-point calibration. METHODS: We produced O2 photosynthetically with extracted spinach thylakoids from source waters with δ18 O values of -56‰ to +95‰ and δ17 O values of -30‰ to +46‰. Photosynthesis was chosen because this process does not cause isotopic fractionation, so that the O isotopic composition of the produced O2 will be identical to that of the source water. The δ18 O and δ17 O values of the produced O2 were measured by gas chromatography coupled with isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (GC/IRMS), applying a common one-point calibration. RESULTS: Linear regressions between δ18 O or δ17 O values of the produced O2 and those of the corresponding source waters resulted in slopes of 0.99 ± 0.01 and 0.92 ± 0.10, respectively. In the tested δ range, a one-point calibration thus introduced maximum errors of 0.8‰ and 3.3‰ for δ18 O and δ17 O, respectively. Triple oxygen isotopic measurements of O2 during consumption by Fe2+ resulted in a δ18 O-δ17 O relationship (λ) of 0.49 ± 0.01 without δ scale correction, slightly lower than expected for mass-dependent O isotopic fractionation. CONCLUSIONS: No significant bias is introduced on the δ18 O scale when applying a one-point calibration with O2 from ambient air during O2 isotope analysis. Both O2 formation and consumption experiments, however, indicate a δ17 O scale compression. Consequently, δ17 O values cannot be measured accurately by GC/IRMS with a one-point calibration without determining the δ17 O scale correction factor, e.g. with the O2 formation experiments described here.

Tidal control on aerobic methane oxidation and mitigation of methane emissions from coastal mangrove sediments.

Mangrove forests represent important sources of methane, partly thwarting their ecosystem function as an efficient atmospheric carbon dioxide sink. Many studies have focused on the spatial and temporal variability of methane emissions from mangrove ecosystems, yet little is known about the microbial and physical controls on the release of biogenic methane from tidally influenced mangrove sediments. Here, we show that aerobic methane oxidation is a key microbial process that effectively reduces methane emissions from mangrove sediments. We further demonstrate clear links between the tidal cycle and fluctuations in methane fluxes, with contrasting methane emission rates under different tidal amplitudes. Our data suggest that both the microbial methane oxidation activity and pressure-induced advective transport modulated methane fluxes in the mangrove sediments. Methane oxidation activity is limited by the availability of oxygen in the surface sediments, which in turn is controlled by tidal dynamics, further highlighting the interactive physico-biogeochemical controls on biological methane fluxes. Although we found some molecular evidence for anaerobic methanotrophs in the deeper sediments, anaerobic methane oxidation seems to play only a minor role in the mangrove sediments, with potential rates being two orders of magnitude lower than those of aerobic methane oxidation. Our findings confirmed the importance of surface sediments as biological barrier for methane. Specifically, when sediments were exposed to the air, methane consumption increased by ∼227%, and the methane flux was reduced by ∼62%, compared to inundated conditions. Our data demonstrate how tides can orchestrate the daily rhythm of methane consumption and production within mangrove sediments, thus explaining the temporal variability of methane emissions in the tidally influenced coastal mangrove systems.

Tapping Freshwaters for Methane and Energy.

Energy supply limits development through fuel constraints and climatic effects. Production of renewable energy is a central pillar of sustainability but will need to play an increasingly important role in energy generation in order to mitigate fossil-fuel based greenhouse-gas emissions. Global freshwaters represent a vast reservoir of biomass and biogenic CH4. Here we demonstrate the great potential for the optimized use of this nonfossil carbon as a source of energy that is replenishable within a human lifetime. The feasibility of up-scaled adsorption-driven technologies to capture and refine aqueous CH4 still awaits verification, yet recent estimates of global freshwater CH4 production imply that the worldwide energy demand could be satisfied by using the "biofuel" building up in lakes and wetlands. Biogenic CH4 is mostly generated from biomass produced through atmospheric CO2 uptake. Its exploitation in freshwaters can thus secure large amounts of carbon-neutral energy, helping to sustain the planetary equilibrium.

Redox-dependent niche differentiation provides evidence for multiple bacterial sources of glycerol tetraether lipids in lakes.

Terrestrial paleoclimate archives such as lake sediments are essential for our understanding of the continental climate system and for the modeling of future climate scenarios. However, quantitative proxies for the determination of paleotemperatures are sparse. The relative abundances of certain bacterial lipids, i.e., branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs), respond to changes in environmental temperature, and thus have great potential for climate reconstruction. Their application to lake deposits, however, is hampered by the lack of fundamental knowledge on the ecology of brGDGT-producing microbes in lakes. Here, we show that brGDGTs are synthesized by multiple groups of bacteria thriving under contrasting redox regimes in a deep meromictic Swiss lake (Lake Lugano). This niche partitioning is evidenced by highly distinct brGDGT inventories in oxic vs. anoxic water masses, and corresponding vertical patterns in bacterial 16S rRNA gene abundances, implying that sedimentary brGDGT records are affected by temperature-independent changes in the community composition of their microbial producers. Furthermore, the stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of brGDGTs in Lake Lugano and 34 other (peri-)Alpine lakes attests to the widespread heterotrophic incorporation of 13C-depleted, methane-derived biomass at the redox transition zone of mesotrophic to eutrophic lake systems. The brGDGTs produced under such hypoxic/methanotrophic conditions reflect near-bottom water temperatures, and are characterized by comparatively low δ13C values. Depending on climate zone and water depth, lake sediment archives predominated by deeper water/low-13C brGDGTs may provide more reliable records of climate variability than those where brGDGTs derive from terrestrial and/or aquatic sources with distinct temperature imprints.

What can we learn from N2 O isotope data? - Analytics, processes and modelling.

The isotopic composition of nitrous oxide (N2 O) provides useful information for evaluating N2 O sources and budgets. Due to the co-occurrence of multiple N2 O transformation pathways, it is, however, challenging to use isotopic information to quantify the contribution of distinct processes across variable spatiotemporal scales. Here, we present an overview of recent progress in N2 O isotopic studies and provide suggestions for future research, mainly focusing on: analytical techniques; production and consumption processes; and interpretation and modelling approaches. Comparing isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) with laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS), we conclude that IRMS is a precise technique for laboratory analysis of N2 O isotopes, while LAS is more suitable for in situ/inline studies and offers advantages for site-specific analyses. When reviewing the link between the N2 O isotopic composition and underlying mechanisms/processes, we find that, at the molecular scale, the specific enzymes and mechanisms involved determine isotopic fractionation effects. In contrast, at plot-to-global scales, mixing of N2 O derived from different processes and their isotopic variability must be considered. We also find that dual isotope plots are effective for semi-quantitative attribution of co-occurring N2 O production and reduction processes. More recently, process-based N2 O isotopic models have been developed for natural abundance and 15 N-tracing studies, and have been shown to be effective, particularly for data with adequate temporal resolution. Despite the significant progress made over the last decade, there is still great need and potential for future work, including development of analytical techniques, reference materials and inter-laboratory comparisons, further exploration of N2 O formation and destruction mechanisms, more observations across scales, and design and validation of interpretation and modelling approaches. Synthesizing all these efforts, we are confident that the N2 O isotope community will continue to advance our understanding of N2 O transformation processes in all spheres of the Earth, and in turn to gain improved constraints on regional and global budgets.

Puzzling Haze Events in China During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Shutdown.

It is a puzzle as to why more severe haze formed during the New Year Holiday in 2020 (NYH-20), when China was in an unprecedented state of shutdown to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, than in 2019 (NYH-19). We performed a comprehensive measurement and modeling analysis of the aerosol chemistry and physics at multiple sites in China (mainly in Shanghai) before, during, and after NYH-19 and NYH-20. Much higher secondary aerosol fraction in PM2.5 were observed during NYH-20 (73%) than during NYH-19 (59%). During NYH-20, PM2.5 levels correlated significantly with the oxidation ratio of nitrogen (r 2 = 0.77, p < 0.01), and aged particles from northern China were found to impede atmospheric new particle formation and growth in Shanghai. A markedly enhanced efficiency of nitrate aerosol formation was observed along the transport pathways during NYH-20, despite the overall low atmospheric NO2 levels.

13C isotopic signature and C concentration of soil density fractions illustrate reduced C allocation to subalpine grassland soil under high atmospheric N deposition.

We followed soil C fluxes in a subalpine grassland system exposed to experimentally increased atmospheric N deposition for 7 years. Earlier we found that, different from the plant productivity response, the bulk soil C stock increase was highest at the medium, not the high N input as hypothesized. This implies that a smaller N-deposition rate has a greater potential to favor the biological greenhouse gas-sink. To help elucidate the mechanisms controlling those changes in SOC in response to N deposition, we produced four soil density fractions and analyzed soil organic C concentration [SOC], as well as δ13C signatures (δ13CSOC) of SOC components. Soil respired CO2 (δ13CCO2) was analyzed to better distinguish seasonal short term dynamics from N-deposition effects and to identify the predominant substrate of soil respiration. Both at the start of the experiment and after 7 years we found a strong, negative correlation between [SOC] and δ13CSOC of the soil density fractions in the control treatment, consistent with an advanced stage of microbial processing of SOC in fractions of higher density. During the experiment the [SOC] increased in the two lighter density fractions, but decreased in the two heavier fractions, suggesting a possible priming effect that accelerated decomposition of formerly recalcitrant (heavy) organic matter pools. The seasonal pattern of soil δ13CCO2 was affected by weather and canopy development, and δ13CCO2 values for the different N treatment levels indicated that soil respiration originated primarily from the lightest density fractions. Surprisingly, [SOC] increases were significantly higher under medium N deposition in the <1.8 fraction and in bulk soil, compared to the high N treatment. Analogously, the depletion of δ13CSOC was significantly higher in the medium compared to the high N treatment in the three lighter fractions. Thus, medium N deposition favored the highest C sequestration potential, compared to the low N control and the high N treatment. Clearly, our results show that it is inappropriate to use plant productivity N response as an indicator for shifts in SOC content in grassland ecosystems. Here, isotopic techniques illustrated why atmospheric N deposition of 14 kg N ha-1 yr-1 is below, and 54 kg N ha-1 yr-1 is above a threshold that tips the balance between new, assimilative gains and respiratory losses towards a net loss of [SOC] for certain soil fractions in the subalpine grassland.

Effects of two contrasted arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal isolates on nutrient uptake by Sorghum bicolor under drought.

Drought is a limiting factor for crop production, especially in arid and semi-arid climates. In this study, Sorghum bicolor plants were inoculated, or not, with Rhizophagus irregularis, an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) strain typical for temperate climates, or Rhizophagus arabicus, a strain endemic to hyper-arid ecosystems. Plants were grown under well-watered or drought conditions in compartmented microcosms. Transpiration rates, plant growth, and nutrient uptake (using 15N as a tracer) were determined to assess the impact of drought stress on sorghum plants in AM symbiosis. Although AM colonization did not affect the bulk biomass of host plants, R. arabicus improved their transpiration efficiency and drought tolerance more than R. irregularis. Moreover, R. arabicus was able to extract more 15N from the soil under both water regimes, and AM-driven enhancement of the nitrogen and phosphorus content of sorghum, especially when water was limiting, was greater for R. arabicus-inoculated plants than for R. irregularis-inoculated plants. Our work demonstrates close links between AM hyphal phosphorus and nitrogen transport and uptake by AM plants for both AM fungal species. It also underscores that, under the drought stress conditions we applied, R. arabicus transfers significantly more nitrogen to sorghum than R. irregularis.

Phylogenetic, structural, and functional characterization of AMT3;1, an ammonium transporter induced by mycorrhization among model grasses.

In the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis, plants satisfy part of their nitrogen (N) requirement through the AM pathway. In sorghum, the ammonium transporters (AMT) AMT3;1, and to a lesser extent AMT4, are induced in cells containing developing arbuscules. Here, we have characterized orthologs of AMT3;1 and AMT4 in four other grasses in addition to sorghum. AMT3;1 and AMT4 orthologous genes are induced in AM roots, suggesting that in the common ancestor of these five plant species, both AMT3;1 and AMT4 were already present and upregulated upon AM colonization. An artificial microRNA approach was successfully used to downregulate either AMT3;1 or AMT4 in rice. Mycorrhizal root colonization and hyphal length density of knockdown plants were not affected at that time, indicating that the manipulation did not modify the establishment of the AM symbiosis and the interaction between both partners. However, expression of the fungal phosphate transporter FmPT was significantly reduced in knockdown plants, indicating a reduction of the nutrient fluxes from the AM fungus to the plant. The AMT3;1 knockdown plants (but not the AMT4 knockdown plants) were significantly less stimulated in growth by AM fungal colonization, and uptake of both 15N and 33P from the AM fungal network was reduced. This confirms that N and phosphorus nutrition through the mycorrhizal pathway are closely linked. But most importantly, it indicates that AMT3;1 is the prime plant transporter involved in the mycorrhizal ammonium transfer and that its function during uptake of N cannot be performed by AMT4.

Reassessment of the NH4 NO3 thermal decomposition technique for calibration of the N2 O isotopic composition.

RATIONALE: In the last few years, the study of N2 O site-specific nitrogen isotope composition has been established as a powerful technique to disentangle N2 O emission pathways. This trend has been accelerated by significant analytical progress in the field of isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and more recently quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS). METHODS: The ammonium nitrate (NH4 NO3 ) decomposition technique provides a strategy to scale the 15 N site-specific (SP ≡ Î´15 Nα - δ15 Nß ) and bulk (δ15 Nbulk  = (δ15 Nα  + Î´15 Nß )/2) isotopic composition of N2 O against the international standard for the 15 N/14 N isotope ratio (AIR-N2 ). Within the current project 15 N fractionation effects during thermal decomposition of NH4 NO3 on the N2 O site preference were studied using static and dynamic decomposition techniques. RESULTS: The validity of the NH4 NO3 decomposition technique to link NH4+ and NO3- moiety-specific δ15 N analysis by IRMS to the site-specific nitrogen isotopic composition of N2 O was confirmed. However, the accuracy of this approach for the calibration of δ15 Nα and δ15 Nß values was found to be limited by non-quantitative NH4 NO3 decomposition in combination with substantially different isotope enrichment factors for the conversion of the NO3- or NH4+ nitrogen atom into the α or ß position of the N2 O molecule. CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals that the completeness and reproducibility of the NH4 NO3 decomposition reaction currently confine the anchoring of N2 O site-specific isotopic composition to the international isotope ratio scale AIR-N2 . The authors suggest establishing a set of N2 O isotope reference materials with appropriate site-specific isotopic composition, as community standards, to improve inter-laboratory compatibility. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Nitrogen isotope effects induced by anammox bacteria.

Nitrogen (N) isotope ratios ((15)N/(14)N) provide integrative constraints on the N inventory of the modern ocean. Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), which converts ammonium and nitrite to dinitrogen gas (N2) and nitrate, is an important fixed N sink in marine ecosystems. We studied the so far unknown N isotope effects of anammox in batch culture experiments. Anammox preferentially removes (14)N from the ammonium pool with an isotope effect of +23.5‰ to +29.1‰, depending on factors controlling reversibility. The N isotope effects during the conversion of nitrite to N2 and nitrate are (i) inverse kinetic N isotope fractionation associated with the oxidation of nitrite to nitrate (-31.1 ± 3.9‰), (ii) normal kinetic N isotope fractionation during the reduction of nitrite to N2 (+16.0 ± 4.5‰), and (iii) an equilibrium N isotope effect between nitrate and nitrite (-60.5 ± 1.0‰), induced when anammox is exposed to environmental stress, leading to the superposition of N isotope exchange effects upon kinetic N isotope fractionation. Our findings indicate that anammox may be responsible for the unresolved large N isotope offsets between nitrate and nitrite in oceanic oxygen minimum zones. Irrespective of the extent of N isotope exchange between nitrate and nitrite, N removed from the combined nitrite and nitrate (NOx) pool is depleted in (15)N relative to NOx. This net N isotope effect by anammox is superimposed on the N isotope fractionation by the co-occurring reduction of nitrate to nitrite in suboxic waters, possibly enhancing the overall N isotope effect for N loss from oxygen minimum zones.

Nutrient regime shift in the western North Atlantic indicated by compound-specific δ15N of deep-sea gorgonian corals.

Despite the importance of the nitrogen (N) cycle on marine productivity, little is known about variability in N sources and cycling in the ocean in relation to natural and anthropogenic climate change. Beyond the last few decades of scientific observation, knowledge depends largely on proxy records derived from nitrogen stable isotopes (δ(15)N) preserved in sediments and other bioarchives. Traditional bulk δ(15)N measurements, however, represent the combined influence of N source and subsequent trophic transfers, often confounding environmental interpretation. Recently, compound-specific analysis of individual amino acids (δ(15)N-AA) has been shown as a means to deconvolve trophic level versus N source effects on the δ(15)N variability of bulk organic matter. Here, we demonstrate the first use of δ(15)N-AA in a paleoceanographic study, through analysis of annually secreted growth rings preserved in the organic endoskeletons of deep-sea gorgonian corals. In the Northwest Atlantic off Nova Scotia, coral δ(15)N is correlated with increasing presence of subtropical versus subpolar slope waters over the twentieth century. By using the new δ(15)N-AA approach to control for variable trophic processing, we are able to interpret coral bulk δ(15)N values as a proxy for nitrate source and, hence, slope water source partitioning. We conclude that the persistence of the warm, nutrient-rich regime since the early 1970s is largely unique in the context of the last approximately 1,800 yr. This evidence suggests that nutrient variability in this region is coordinated with recent changes in global climate and underscores the broad potential of δ(15)N-AA for paleoceanographic studies of the marine N cycle.

Metagenomic and -transcriptomic analyses of microbial nitrogen transformation potential, and gene expression in Swiss lake sediments.

The global nitrogen (N) cycle has been strongly altered by anthropogenic activities, including increased input of bioavailable N into aquatic ecosystems. Freshwater sediments are hotspots with regards to the turnover and elimination of fixed N, yet the environmental controls on the microbial pathways involved in benthic N removal are not fully understood. Here, we analyze the abundance and expression of microbial genes involved in N transformations using metagenomics and -transcriptomics across sediments of 12 Swiss lakes that differ in sedimentation rates and trophic regimes. Our results indicate that microbial N loss in these sediments is primarily driven by nitrification coupled to denitrification. N-transformation gene compositions indicated three groups of lakes: agriculture-influenced lakes characterized by rapid depletion of oxidants in the sediment porewater, pristine-alpine lakes with relatively deep sedimentary penetration of oxygen and nitrate, and large, deep lakes with intermediate porewater hydrochemical properties. Sedimentary organic matter (OM) characteristics showed the strongest correlations with the community structure of microbial N-cycling communities. Most transformation pathways were expressed, but expression deviated from gene abundance and did not correlate with benthic geochemistry. Cryptic N-cycling may maintain transcriptional activity even when substrate levels are below detection. Sediments of large, deep lakes generally showed lower in-situ N gene expression than agriculture-influenced lakes, and half of the pristine-alpine lakes. This implies that prolonged OM mineralization in the water column can lead to the suppression of benthic N gene expression.

Solid phase speciation controls copper mobilisation from marine sediments by methanobactin.

Although marine environments represent huge reservoirs of the potent greenhouse gas methane, they currently contribute little to global net methane emissions. Most of the methane is oxidized by methanotrophs, minimizing escape to the atmosphere. Aerobic methanotrophs oxidize methane mostly via the copper (Cu)-bearing enzyme particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO). Therefore, aerobic methane oxidation depends on sufficient Cu acquisition by methanotrophs. Because they require both oxygen and methane, aerobic methanotrophs reside at oxic-anoxic interfaces, often close to sulphidic zones where Cu bioavailability can be limited by poorly soluble Cu sulphide mineral phases. Under Cu-limiting conditions, certain aerobic methanotrophs exude Cu-binding ligands termed chalkophores, such as methanobactin (mb) exuded by Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b. Our main objective was to establish whether chalkophores can mobilise Cu from Cu sulphide-bearing marine sediments to enhance Cu bioavailability. Through a series of kinetic batch experiments, we investigated Cu mobilisation by mb from a set of well-characterized sulphidic marine sediments differing in sediment properties, including Cu content and phase distribution. Characterization of solid-phase Cu speciation included X-ray absorption spectroscopy and a targeted sequential extraction. Furthermore, in batch experiments, we investigated to what extent adsorption of metal-free mb and Cu-mb complexes to marine sediments constrains Cu mobilisation. Our results are the first to show that both solid phase Cu speciation and chalkophore adsorption can constrain methanotrophic Cu acquisition from marine sediments. Only for certain sediments did mb addition enhance dissolved Cu concentrations. Cu mobilisation by mb was not correlated to the total Cu content of the sediment, but was controlled by solid-phase Cu speciation. Cu was only mobilised from sediments containing a mono-Cu-sulphide (CuSx) phase. We also show that mb adsorption to sediments limits Cu acquisition by mb to less compact (surface) sediments. Therefore, in sulphidic sediments, mb-mediated Cu acquisition is presumably constrained to surface-sediment interfaces containing mono-Cu-sulphide phases.

Mycorrhizal networks: common goods of plants shared under unequal terms of trade.

Plants commonly live in a symbiotic association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). They invest photosynthetic products to feed their fungal partners, which, in return, provide mineral nutrients foraged in the soil by their intricate hyphal networks. Intriguingly, AMF can link neighboring plants, forming common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs). What are the terms of trade in such CMNs between plants and their shared fungal partners? To address this question, we set up microcosms containing a pair of test plants, interlinked by a CMN of Glomus intraradices or Glomus mosseae. The plants were flax (Linum usitatissimum; a C(3) plant) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor; a C(4) plant), which display distinctly different (13)C/(12)C isotope compositions. This allowed us to differentially assess the carbon investment of the two plants into the CMN through stable isotope tracing. In parallel, we determined the plants' "return of investment" (i.e. the acquisition of nutrients via CMN) using (15)N and (33)P as tracers. Depending on the AMF species, we found a strong asymmetry in the terms of trade: flax invested little carbon but gained up to 94% of the nitrogen and phosphorus provided by the CMN, which highly facilitated growth, whereas the neighboring sorghum invested massive amounts of carbon with little return but was barely affected in growth. Overall biomass production in the mixed culture surpassed the mean of the two monocultures. Thus, CMNs may contribute to interplant facilitation and the productivity boosts often found with intercropping compared with conventional monocropping.

Isotope signatures of N2O in a mixed microbial population system: constraints on N2O producing pathways in wastewater treatment.

We present measurements of site preference (SP) and bulk (15)N/(14)N ratios (δ(15)N(bulk)(N2O)) of nitrous oxide (N(2)O) by quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS) as a powerful tool to investigate N(2)O production pathways in biological wastewater treatment. QCLAS enables high-precision N(2)O isotopomer analysis in real time. This allowed us to trace short-term fluctuations in SP and δ(15)N(bulk)(N2O) and, hence, microbial transformation pathways during individual batch experiments with activated sludge from a pilot-scale facility treating municipal wastewater. On the basis of previous work with microbial pure cultures, we demonstrate that N(2)O emitted during ammonia (NH(4)(+)) oxidation with a SP of -5.8 to 5.6 ‰ derives mostly from nitrite (NO(2)(-)) reduction (e.g., nitrifier denitrification), with a minor contribution from hydroxylamine (NH(2)OH) oxidation at the beginning of the experiments. SP of N(2)O produced under anoxic conditions was always positive (1.2 to 26.1 ‰), and SP values at the high end of this spectrum (24.9 to 26.1 ‰) are indicative of N(2)O reductase activity. The measured δ(15)N(bulk)(N2O) at the initiation of the NH(4)(+) oxidation experiments ranged between -42.3 and -57.6 ‰ (corresponding to a nitrogen isotope effect Δδ(15)N = δ(15)N(substrate) - δ(15)N(bulk)(N2O) of 43.5 to 58.8 ‰), which is considerably higher than under denitrifying conditions (δ(15)N(bulk)(N2O) 2.4 to -17 ‰; Δδ(15)N = 0.1 to 19.5 ‰). During the course of all NH(4)(+) oxidation and nitrate (NO(3)(-)) reduction experiments, δ(15)N(bulk)(N2O) increased significantly, indicating net (15)N enrichment in the dissolved inorganic nitrogen substrates (NH(4)(+), NO(3)(-)) and transfer into the N(2)O pool. The decrease in δ(15)N(bulk)(N2O) during NO(2)(-) and NH(2)OH oxidation experiments is best explained by inverse fractionation during the oxidation of NO(2)(-) to NO(3)(-).

Water column dynamics control nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation by Candidatus "Methylomirabilis" in stratified lake basins.

We investigated microbial methane oxidation in the water column of two connected but hydrodynamically contrasting basins of Lake Lugano, Switzerland. Both basins accumulate large amounts of methane in the water column below their chemoclines, but methane oxidation efficiently prevents methane from reaching surface waters. Here we show that in the meromictic North Basin water column, a substantial fraction of methane was eliminated through anaerobic methane oxidation (AOM) coupled to nitrite reduction by Candidatus Methylomirabilis. Incubations with 14CH4 and concentrated biomass from this basin showed enhanced AOM rates with nitrate (+62%) and nitrite (+43%). In the more dynamic South Basin, however, aerobic methanotrophs prevailed, Ca. Methylomirabilis was absent in the anoxic water column, and no evidence was found for nitrite-dependent AOM. Here, the duration of seasonal stratification and anoxia seems to be too short, relative to the slow growth rate of Ca. Methylomirabilis, to allow for the establishment of anaerobic methanotrophs, in spite of favorable hydrochemical conditions. Using 16 S rRNA gene sequence data covering nearly ten years of community dynamics, we show that Ca. Methylomirabilis was a permanent element of the pelagic methane filter in the North Basin, which proliferated during periods of stable water column conditions and became the dominant methanotroph in the system. Conversely, more dynamic water column conditions led to a decline of Ca. Methylomirabilis and induced blooms of the faster-growing aerobic methanotrophs Methylobacter and Crenothrix. Our data highlight that physical (mixing) processes and ecosystem stability are key drivers controlling the community composition of aerobic and anaerobic methanotrophs.

Hydrodynamic regimes modulate nitrogen fixation and the mode of diazotrophy in Lake Tanganyika.

The factors that govern the geographical distribution of nitrogen fixation are fundamental to providing accurate nitrogen budgets in aquatic environments. Model-based insights have demonstrated that regional hydrodynamics strongly impact nitrogen fixation. However, the mechanisms establishing this physical-biological coupling have yet to be constrained in field surveys. Here, we examine the distribution of nitrogen fixation in Lake Tanganyika - a model system with well-defined hydrodynamic regimes. We report that nitrogen fixation is five times higher under stratified than under upwelling conditions. Under stratified conditions, the limited resupply of inorganic nitrogen to surface waters, combined with greater light penetration, promotes the activity of bloom-forming photoautotrophic diazotrophs. In contrast, upwelling conditions support predominantly heterotrophic diazotrophs, which are uniquely suited to chemotactic foraging in a more dynamic nutrient landscape. We suggest that these hydrodynamic regimes (stratification versus mixing) play an important role in governing both the rates and the mode of nitrogen fixation.