Open AccessSources of nitrous oxide production following wetting of dry soil
Author(s) -
Rudaz Ariane O.,
Davidson Eric A.,
Firestone Mary K.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1991.tb04703.x-i1
Subject(s) - nitrous oxide , wetting , production (economics) , environmental science , environmental chemistry , chemistry , agronomy , materials science , biology , organic chemistry , economics , composite material , macroeconomics
Production of N 2 O was detected within 30 min of adding water to very dry soil (matric water potential < −9 MPa) sampled at the end of the dry season from an annual grassland of California, U.S.A. Using C 2 H 2 to inhibit nitrification, we demonstrate that nitrification was a modest source of N 2 O in sieved soil wetted to a water content below field capacity, but that denitrification was the major source of N 2 O in sieved soils wetted to a water content above field capacity and in intact cores wetted either below or above field capacity. Significant abiological sources of N 2 O were not detected. De novo enzyme synthesis began within 4–8 h of wetting, and denitrifying enzyme activity doubled within 26 h, indicating that denitrifying bacteria can quickly transform their metabolic state from adaptation to severe drought stress to rapid exploitation of changing resources.