Quantity and activity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria and their contribution to ammonia oxidation in farmland soil of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau北大核心CSCD

Ammonia oxidation, the first and rate-limiting step of nitrification, is mainly performed by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). However, the activities of AOA and AOB in soil and their relative contribution to ammonia oxidation are unclear, and whether there is a significant correlation between the quantity of AOA and AOB and the ammonia oxidation rate is also controversial. In this study, quantitative PCR combined with acetylene (C2H2) and 1-octyne inhibition methods were used to determine the quantity and activity of AOA and AOB in wheat, highland barley, and oilseed rape soils in Nyingchi, Lhatse, Sangzhuzi, and Sangri counties on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The results showed that the quantity of AOB ((2.34 ± 0.84) ×105 - (2.65 ± 1.07) ×106 copies g-1 dry soil) was significantly higher than that of AOA ((0.20 ± 0.10) ×104 - (4.02 ± 0.39) ×104 copies g-1 dry soil) in all the soil samples. Soil pH was the key factor affecting the quantity of AOB, and the total phosphorus and ammonium nitrogen in soil were the key factors affecting the quantity of AOA. The rates of ammonia oxidation in the farmland soils of Lhatse (2.42 ± 0.73 mg kg-1 d-1) and Sangzhuzi (3.24 ± 1.15 mg kg-1 d-1) were significantly higher than those in the soils of Nyingchi (1.17 ± 0.43 mg kg-1 d-1) and Sangri counties (0.88 ± 0.57 mg kg-1 d-1). The rates of ammonia oxidation in the farmland soils of Lhatse and Sangzhuzi were dominated by AOB, while those in the farmland soils of Nyingchi and Sangri counties were dominated by AOA. For crops, the ammonia oxidation rates of wheat and oilseed rape soils in all four regions were significantly higher than those of highland barley soil, whereas the activity of AOA and AOB was not influenced by crops. The ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus was the key factor influencing AOA activity, whereas soil pH and total carbon were the main factors influencing AOB activity. Additionally, the quantities of AOA and AOB were not significantly correlated with the total ammonia oxidation rates and AOA and AOB activity. Overall, our study suggests that both AOA and AOB play important roles in ammonia oxidation in farmland soils of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Moreover, it is unreliable to predict the activity of AOA and AOB and their relative contribution to ammonia oxidation directly based on their number of amoA genes, and the activity of AOA and AOB should be directly and accurately measured. These results are important for understanding ammonia nitrogen removal processes, slowing nitrate loss, and reducing the emission of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide in the farmland ecosystem of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. © 2022 Science Press. All rights reserved.