Environmental controls on denitrifying communities and denitrification rates: insights from molecular methods. |
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Authors: | Matthew D Wallenstein David D Myrold Mary Firestone Mary Voytek |
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Institution: | Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara 80524, USA. wallenstein@lifesci.ucsb.edu |
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Abstract: | The advent of molecular techniques has improved our understanding of the microbial communities responsible for denitrification and is beginning to address their role in controlling denitrification processes. There is a large diversity of bacteria, archaea, and fungi capable of denitrification, and their community composition is structured by long-term environmental drivers. The range of temperature and moisture conditions, substrate availability, competition, and disturbances have long-lasting legacies on denitrifier community structure. These communities may differ in physiology, environmental tolerances to pH and O2, growth rate, and enzyme kinetics. Although factors such as O2, pH, C availability, and NO3- pools affect instantaneous rates, these drivers act through the biotic community. This review summarizes the results of molecular investigations of denitrifier communities in natural environments and provides a framework for developing future research for addressing connections between denitrifier community structure and function. |
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