Spatiotemporal Variations in the Abundance and Structure of Denitrifier Communities in Sediments Differing in Nitrate Content
Spatial and temporal variations related to hydric seasonality in abundance and diversity of denitrifier communities were examined in sediments taken from two sites differing in nitrate concentration along a stream Doñ
Spatial distribution of N-cycling microbial communities showed complex patterns in constructed wetland sediments.
International audience; Constructed wetlands are used for biological treatment of wastewater from agricultural lands carrying pollutants such as nitrates. Nitrogen removal in wetlands occurs from direct assimilation by plants and through microbial nitrification and denitrification. We investigated the spatial distribution of N-cycling microbial communities and genes involved in nitrification and denitrification in constructed wetland sediments receiving irrigation water. We used quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) to characterize microbial communities. Geostatistical variance analysis was used to relate them with vegetation cover and biogeochemical sediment properties. The spatial distributio…