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. 1980 Dec;40(6):1060–1066. doi: 10.1128/aem.40.6.1060-1066.1980

Production of Nitrous Oxide by Ammonia-Oxidizing Chemoautotrophic Microorganisms in Soil †

A M Blackmer 1, J M Bremner 1, E L Schmidt 2
PMCID: PMC291722  PMID: 16345670

Abstract

Gas chromatographic studies showed that nitrous oxide was produced in each instance when sterilized (autoclaved) soil was incubated after treatment with ammonium sulfate and inoculation with pure cultures of ammonia-oxidizing chemoautotrophic microorganisms (strains of Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira, and Nitrosolobus). Production of N2O in ammonium-treated sterilized soil inoculated with Nitrosomonas europaea increased with the concentration of ammonium and the moisture content of the soil and was completely inhibited by both nitrapyrin and acetylene. Similar effects of nitrapyrin, acetylene, ammonium concentration, and soil moisture content were observed in studies of factors affecting N2O production in nonsterile soil treated with ammonium sulfate. These observations support the conclusion that, at least under some conditions, most of the N2O evolved from soils treated with ammonium or ammonium-producing fertilizers is generated by chemoautotrophic nitrifying microorganisms during oxidation of ammonium to nitrite.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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