Relative contributions of archaea and bacteria to aerobic ammonia oxidation in the environment

Traditionally, organisms responsible for major biogeochemical cycling processes have been determined by physiological characterization of environmental isolates in laboratory culture. Molecular techniques have, however, confirmed the widespread occurrence of abundant bacterial and archaeal groups with no cultivated representative, making it difficult to determine their ecosystem function. Until recently, ammonia oxidation, the first step in the globally important process of nitrification, was thought to be performed almost exclusively by bacteria. Metagenome studies, followed by laboratory isolation, then demonstrated the potential for significant ammonia oxidation by mesophilic crenarchaea, whose ecosystem…

• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Award: NE/D010195/1
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Award: NE/D010195/1