Evidence for the direct oxidation of organic nitrogen to N2 gas in the Arabian Sea

We performed a suite of (15)N incubations ((15)NO(2)(-), (15)NO(3)(-) and (15)NH(4)(+)) with and without the organic-nitrogen (N) compound allylthiourea (ATU), in the suboxic waters of the Arabian Sea. Production of (29)N(2) in control (-ATU) incubations with either (15)NH(4)(+)+(14)NO(2)(-), or their analogues, (15)NO(2)(-)+(14)NH(4)(+), though small, confirmed the presence of anammox. In contrast, when we added ATU, along with (15)NO(2)(-) and (14)NH(4)(+), there was a much greater production of (29)N(2), with 92% of the (15)N-label being recovered as (29)N(2) on average. Such stimulated production of (29)N(2) could not be due to anammox, as the addition of ATU, along with (15)NH(4)(+)+(14)NO(2)(-), only produced (29)N(2) equivalent to that in the controls. The ratios of (29)N(2) to (30)N(2) produced also precluded stimulation of denitrification. We present this as evidence for a hitherto uncharacterised metabolism potentially capable of oxidising organic-N (e.g. NH(2) groups) directly to N(2) gas at the expense of NO(2)(-).