Primary effects of extracellular enzyme activity and microbial community on carbon and nitrogen mineralization in estuarine and tidal wetlands

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2015 Mar;99(6):2895-909. doi: 10.1007/s00253-014-6187-4. Epub 2014 Nov 9.

Abstract

Estuarine and tidal wetlands with high primary productivity and biological activity play a crucial role in coastal nutrient dynamics. Here, to better reveal the effects of extracellular enzymes and microbial community on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) mineralization, the incubation experiments with different C and N addition patterns to the tidal sediments of the Yangtze Estuary (China) were conducted. The results suggested a significant increase in cumulative CO2 effluxes in the C and CN treatment experiments, while no significant difference in cumulative CO2 effluxes between the N treatment and control (CK) experiments was observed. In addition, the nutrient addition patterns had a great influence on dissolve organic C and N levels, but a small effect on microbial biomass C and N. Microbial community composition and microbial activity were found to be positively correlated with organic C (OC) and the molar ratio of C to N (C/N). Partial correlation analysis, controlling for C/N, supported direct effects of OC on the activity of carbon-cycling extracellular enzymes (cellulase and polyphenol oxidase), while C/N exhibited negatively correlations with urease and Gram-positive bacteria to Gram-negative bacteria (G+/G-). Strong relationships were found between CO2 efflux and mineral nitrogen with the activity of specific enzymes (sucrase, cellulase, and polyphenol oxidase) and abundances of Gram-negative bacteria, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and fungi, suggesting the significant influences of microbial community and enzyme activity on C and N mineralization in the estuarine and tidal wetlands. Furthermore, this study could highlight the need to explore effects of nutrient supply on microbial communities and enzyme activity changes associated with the C and N mineralization in these wetlands induced by the climate change.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biomass
  • Carbon / analysis*
  • Chemical Phenomena
  • China
  • Enzymes / metabolism*
  • Estuaries
  • Geologic Sediments / microbiology
  • Gram-Negative Bacteria / enzymology
  • Linear Models
  • Mycorrhizae / enzymology
  • Nitrogen / analysis*
  • Phospholipids / analysis
  • Soil Microbiology*
  • Water Microbiology*
  • Wetlands*

Substances

  • Enzymes
  • Phospholipids
  • Carbon
  • Nitrogen