Denitrification in low oxic environments increases the accumulation of nitrogen oxide intermediates and modulates the evolutionary potential of microbial populations.

ABSTRACT: Denitrification in oxic environments occurs when a microorganism uses nitrogen oxides as terminal electron acceptors even though oxygen is available. While this phenomenon is well-established, its consequences on ecological and evolutionary processes remain poorly understood. We hypothesize here that denitrification in oxic environments can modify the accumulation profiles of nitrogen oxide intermediates with cascading effects on the evolutionary potentials of denitrifying microorganisms. To test this, we performed laboratory experiments with Paracoccus denitrificans and complemented them with individual-based computational modelling. We found that denitrification in low oxic environments significantly increases the accumulation of nitrite and nitric oxide. We further found that the increa

SUBMITTER: Takahashi K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10866065 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature