Hurricane Disturbance Stimulated Nitrification and Altered Ammonia Oxidizer Community Structure in Lake Okeechobee and St. Lucie Estuary (Florida).

ABSTRACT: Nitrification is an important biological link between oxidized and reduced forms of nitrogen (N). The efficiency of nitrification plays a key role in mitigating excess N in eutrophic systems, including those with cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs), since it can be closely coupled with denitrification and removal of excess N. Recent work suggests that competition for ammonium (NH₄ ⁺) between ammonia oxidizers and cyanoHABs can help determine microbial community structure. Nitrification rates and ammonia-oxidizing archaeal (AOA) and bacterial (AOB) community composition and gene abundances were quantified in Lake Okeechobee and St. Lucie Estuary in southern Florida (United States). We sampled during cyanobacterial (Microcystis) blooms in July 2016 an

SUBMITTER: Hampel JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7366250 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature