Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) potentially facilitates the accumulation of phosphorus in lake water from sediment

Hezhong Yuan; Bingchan Jia; Qingfei Zeng; Yanwen Zhou; Juan Wu; Haixiang Wang; Hao Fang; Yiwei Cai; Qiang Li

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134664

Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) potentially facilitates the accumulation of phosphorus in lake water from sediment

Chemosphere. 2022 Sep;303(Pt 1):134664. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134664. Epub 2022 Apr 20.

Authors

Hezhong Yuan¹, Bingchan Jia², Qingfei Zeng³, Yanwen Zhou⁴, Juan Wu⁵, Haixiang Wang⁶, Hao Fang⁶, Yiwei Cai⁶, Qiang Li⁷

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control and Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CICAEET), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China. Electronic address: yuanhezhong@nuist.edu.cn.
² Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control and Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CICAEET), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China; State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
⁴ Nanjing Research Institute of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing, 210013, China.
⁵ Gaochun District Water Authority Bureau, Nanjing, 211300, China.
⁶ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control and Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology (CICAEET), School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China.
⁷ Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 53706, Madison, WI, USA.

PMID: 35460675
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134664

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are crucial nutrients for eutrophication in the lacustrine ecosystem and attract the attention worldwide. However, the interaction between them need further clarification. This study aimed to assess the influence of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (DNRA) on the cycle of P in lacustrine sediment. Different fractions of N and P in the pore water were measured using high-resolution in-situ measurement techniques, HR-Peeper and DGT, coupling with sequential extraction for solid sediment from a shallow freshwater lake. The results showed that elevated nitrate (NO₃^-) reduction via DNRA rather than denitrification was verified at deeper sediment layer, suggesting the generation of inorganic ammonia (NH₄⁺) as electron donor under anaerobic episodes. High abundance of DNRA bacteria (nrfA gene) obtained using high-throughput sequencing analysis were detected at upper layer and responsible for the accumulation of NH₄⁺ in the sediment coupling with chemolithoautotrophic metabolism. Additionally, significant desorption of ionic ferrous iron (Fe²⁺) and dissolved reactive phosphate (DRP) from solid phase and the enrichment in the solution was simultaneously detected. Higher concentration of solid Fe bound P (Fe-P) at deeper layer indicated the potential re-oxidation of Fe²⁺ as electron donor during DNRA process and sorption of DRP toward the Fe-containing minerals. However, obvious evidence of desorption proved by DGT indicated that higher NH₄⁺ concentrations favored the reduction of Fe(III) oxy(hydr)oxides and the desorption of DRP into the pore water and diffusion toward the overlying water. Finally, noteworthy S^2- release from solid sediment was speculated to stimulate the DNRA and facilitated the accumulation of NH₄⁺ in the solution, which further induced the enrichment of DRP in water from the solid phase. Overall, DNRA potentially facilitates the accumulation of P in lake water, and the synchronous control of N and P is important for the eutrophication management and restoration of lake eutrophication.

Keywords: DGT; Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA); Peeper; Phosphorus (P) diffusion; Sediment; nrfA.

MeSH terms

Ammonia
Ammonium Compounds* / metabolism
Denitrification
Ecosystem
Ferric Compounds
Geologic Sediments
Lakes
Nitrates / analysis
Nitrogen
Nitrogen Oxides
Organic Chemicals
Phosphorus
Water / analysis

Substances

Ammonium Compounds
Ferric Compounds
Nitrates
Nitrogen Oxides
Organic Chemicals
Water
Phosphorus
Ammonia
Nitrogen