Methanethiol accumulation exacerbates release of N2O during denitrification in estuarine sediments and bacterial cultures

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2011

Authors

Magalhaes, C (Author) Other; Kiene, RP (Author) Other; Buchan, A (Author) Other; Machado, A (Author) Other; Wiebe, WJ (Author) Other; Adriano Bordalo (Author) ICBAS

Journal

Title: Environmental Microbiology Reports

Vol. 3

Pages: 308-314

ISSN: 1758-2229

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 8 Citations

Scopus - 9 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-R70

DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-2229.2010.00226.x

Abstract (EN): P>Microbes play critical roles in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and sulfur in aquatic environments. Here we investigated the interaction between the naturally occurring organic sulfur compound methanethiol (MeSH) and the final step of the denitrification pathway, the reduction of nitrous oxide (N2O) to dinitrogen (N-2) gas, in sediment slurries from the temperate Douro and Ave estuaries (NW Portugal) and in pure cultures of the marine bacterium Ruegeria pomeroyi. Sediment slurries and cell suspensions were amended with a range of concentrations of either MeSH (0-120 mu M) or methionine (0-5 mM), a known precursor of MeSH. MeSH or methionine additions caused N2O to accumulate and this accumulation was linearly related to MeSH concentrations in both coastal sediments (R2 = 0.7-0.9, P < 0.05) and R. pomeroyi cell suspensions (R2 = 0.9, P < 0.01). Our results suggest that MeSH inhibits the final step of denitrification resulting in N2O accumulation.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 7