Differential Responses of Soil Ammonia-oxidizing Bacterial and Archaeal Communities to Land-use Changes in Zambia.

ABSTRACT: Soil nutrient loss from intensive farming is a critical issue in sub-Saharan Africa that affects food security. While soil microbial nitrification supplies available nitrogen, excessive nitrification leads to nitrogen loss. However, the species driving nitrification and their functions in this region remain largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated the responses of ammonia-oxidizing bacterial (AOB) and archaeal (AOA) communities to land-use changes in Zambia and their relationship with nitrification potential. Soil samples were collected from three sites in Zambia that all had neighboring natural and farmed (maize) lands. We measured nitrification potential, quantified AOB and AOA, and analyzed these communities by targeting the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene, which encodes

SUBMITTER: Ohigashi T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11946413 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature