Elucidating the links between N2O dynamics and changes in microbial communities following saltwater intrusions.

Saltwater intrusion in estuarine ecosystems alters microbial communities as well as biogeochemical cycling processes and has become a worldwide problem. However, the impact of salinity intrusion on the dynamics of nitrous oxide (N2O) and associated microbial community are understudied. Here, we conducted field microcosms in a tidal estuary during different months (December, April and August) using dialysis bags, and microbes inside the bags encountered a change in salinity in natural setting. We then compared N2O dynamics in the microcosms with that in natural water. Regardless of incubation environment, saltwater intrusion altered the dissolved N2O depending on the initial saturation rates of N2O. While the impact of saltwater intrusion on N2O dynamics was consistent across months, the dissolved N2O was higher in summer than in winter. The N-related microbial communities following saltwater intrusion were dominated by denitrifers, with fewer nitrifiers and bacterial taxa involved in dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium. While denitrification was a significant driver of N2O dynamics in the studied estuary, nitrifier-involved denitrification contributed to the additional production of N2O, evidenced by the strong associations with amoA genes and the abundance of Nitrospira. Higher N2O concentrations in the field microcosms than in natural water limited N2O consumption in the former, given the lack of an association with nosZ gene abundance. The differences in the N2O dynamics observed between the microcosms and natural water could be that the latter comprised not only indigenous microbes but also those accompanied with saltwater intrusion, and that immigrants might be functionally rich individuals and able to perform N transformation in multiple pathways. Our work provides the first quantitative assessment of in situ N2O concentrations in an estuary subjected to a saltwater intrusion. The results highlight the importance of ecosystem size and microbial connectivity in the source-sink dynamics of N2O in changing environments.

Salt intrusion alters nitrogen cycling in tidal reaches as determined in field and laboratory investigations.

Salinization is a growing problem throughout the world and poses a threat especially to freshwater ecosystems. However, much remains to be learned about the mechanisms by which salinity impacts microbially mediated biogeochemical processes. Elevated nitrogen (N) concentrations in estuarine ecosystems have led to their eutrophication, but the relationship between N transformation and the functional genes involved in the response to saltwater intrusion is poorly understood. Here, using the Minjiang River, a tidal river in southeastern China as an easily accessible natural laboratory, we conducted a 2-year field survey to investigate N speciation during ebb and flood tides. Then, in a laboratory experiment we simulated the varying degrees of salt intrusion that occur in natural tidal reaches. The microcosm study allowed quantitative assessments of N transformation and functional gene responses. The field surveys showed that concentrations of NH4+ rose during flood tides, while the concentrations of NO3- and total N fluctuated. In the microcosms, NO3- concentrations decreased in response to salt pulses, due to simultaneous declines in the abundance of genes responsible for nitrification and increases in the abundance of those involved in dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). The elevated salinity led to increased yields of NH4+, a response that correlated positively with the abundance of nrfA genes, involved in DNRA. Furthermore, an increase in salinity promoted N2O accumulation during the denitrification process. Altogether, our study suggests that saltwater intrusion leads to a decrease in nitrification while favoring N transformation via denitrification and DNRA and that N2O accumulation in the water is dependent on the strength of the salt pulse.