Warming stimulates sediment denitrification at the expense of anaerobic ammonium oxidation

Ehui Tan, Wenbin Zou, Zhenzhen Zheng, Xiuli Yan, Moge Du, Ting-Chang Hsu, Li Tian, Jack J. Middelburg, Thomas W. Trull and Shuh-ji Kao ()
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Ehui Tan: College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University
Wenbin Zou: College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University
Zhenzhen Zheng: College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University
Xiuli Yan: Shantou University
Moge Du: College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University
Ting-Chang Hsu: Huaiyin Normal University
Li Tian: College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University
Jack J. Middelburg: Utrecht University
Thomas W. Trull: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
Shuh-ji Kao: College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University

Nature Climate Change, 2020, vol. 10, issue 4, 349-355

Abstract: Abstract Temperature is one of the fundamental environmental variables governing microbially mediated denitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in sediments. The GHG nitrous oxide (N2O) is produced during denitrification, but not by anammox, and knowledge of how these pathways respond to global warming remains limited. Here, we show that warming directly stimulates denitrification-derived N2O production and that the warming response for N2O production is slightly higher than the response for denitrification in subtropical sediments. Moreover, denitrification had a higher optimal temperature than anammox. Integrating our data into a global compilation indicates that denitrifiers are more thermotolerant, whereas anammox bacteria are relatively psychrotolerant. Crucially, recent summer temperatures in low-latitude sediments have exceeded the optimal temperature of anammox, implying that further warming may suppress anammox and direct more of the nitrogen flow towards denitrification and associated N2O production, leading to a positive climate feedback at low latitudes.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41558-020-0723-2

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