Ammonia oxidation potentials and ammonia oxidizers of lichen–moss vegetated soils at two ice-free areas in east antarctica

Abstract

The maximum ammonia oxidation potential (AOP) of a topsoil in Langhovde, East Antarctica was 22.1±2.4 ng N g–1 dry soil h–1 (2 mM ammonium, 10°C, n=3). This topsoil exhibited twin AOP peaks (1 and 2 mM ammonium) at 10°C, but not at 20°C. Six and ten operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) amoA, respectively. AOB were classified into Nitrosospira; the two dominant OTUs corresponded to the Mount Everest cluster. AOA were classified into three clusters; Nitrososphaera and Nitrosocosmicus were the two dominant clusters.