Metagenomic analysis of nitrogen-cycling genes in upper Mississippi river sediment with mussel assemblages.

ABSTRACT: We investigated the impact of native freshwater mussel assemblages (order Unionoida) on the abundance and composition of nitrogen-cycling genes in sediment of an upper Mississippi river habitat. We hypothesized that the genomic potential for ammonia and nitrite oxidation would be greater in the sediment with mussel assemblages, presumably due to mussel biodeposition products, namely ammonia and organic carbon. Regardless of the presence of mussels, upper Mississippi river sediment microbial communities had the largest genomic potential for nitrogen fixation followed by urea catabolism, nitrate metabolism, and nitrate assimilation, as evidenced by analysis of nitrogen cycling pathway abundances. However, genes encoding nitrate and nitrite redox reactions, narGHI and nxrAB, were the most abu

SUBMITTER: Black EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6528593 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature