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Research Article

Effect of pH on the activity and N2O production of comammox Nitrospira inopinata
Shurong Liu1
,
Man-Young Jung2*
1School of Agriculture, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
2Department of Biology Education, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Republic of Korea
*Corresponding Author
29 August 2025. pp. 43-49
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Abstract

A recent study showed that N2O production by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) was accompanied by the upregulation of a putative cytochrome P450 NO reductase at pH 5.5. Hence, enzymatically mediated denitrification might play a significant role in N2O emissions by AOA in acidic environments. Since the N. inopinata genome also encodes putative cytochrome P450, we want to know more about NO and N2O production by comammox at different pH conditions. First results demonstrate that N. inopinata tolerates a broad pH range from 5.5 to 9, even at the lowest pH 5.5, where complete ammonia oxidation was not observed, but showed approximately 20% ammonia oxidation at optimal pH 7.5. Interestingly, microrespirometry experiments indicate a decreasing N2O production at low pH. This may explain the lower N2O production (e.g., from abiotic NH2OH decomposition) at low pH. This study on comammox is currently being continued to further monitor and explain the changing NO and N2O production at low pH. We expect to gain urgently needed insights into nitrogen compound conversions and greenhouse gas production by comammox under different environmental conditions.

Keywords
Comammox
Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Global acidification
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Information
  • Publisher :Jeju Journal of Island Sciences
  • Publisher(Ko) :제주섬과학회지
  • Journal Title :Jeju Journal of Island Sciences
  • Journal Title(Ko) :제주섬과학회지
  • Volume : 2
  • No :2
  • Pages :43-49
  • Received Date : 2024-04-18
  • Revised Date : 2025-08-21
  • Accepted Date : 2025-08-21
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.23264/JJIS.2025.2.2.043
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