Diversity and abundance of nitrate reductase genes (narG and napA), nitrite reductase genes (nirS and nrfA), and their transcripts in estuarine sediments.

ABSTRACT: Estuarine systems are the major conduits for the transfer of nitrate from agricultural and other terrestrial-anthropogenic sources into marine ecosystems. Within estuarine sediments some microbially driven processes (denitrification and anammox) result in the net removal of nitrogen from the environment, while others (dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium) do not. In this study, molecular approaches have been used to investigate the diversity, abundance, and activity of the nitrate-reducing communities in sediments from the hypernutrified Colne estuary, United Kingdom, via analysis of nitrate and nitrite reductase genes and transcripts. Sequence analysis of cloned PCR-amplified narG, napA, and nrfA gene sequences showed the indigenous nitrate-reducing communities to be both phylogene

SUBMITTER: Smith CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1932689 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature