Project description:Ammonia-oxidizing archaeal (AOA) amoA diversity and relative abundance in Gulf of Mexico sediments (0-2 cm) were investigated using a functional gene microarray; a two color array with a universal internal standard
Project description:The abundance of bacterial (AOB) and archaeal (AOA) ammonia oxidisers, assessed using quantitative PCR measurements of their respective a-subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) genes, and ammonia oxidation rates were measured in four contrasting coastal sediments in the Western English Channel. Sediment was sampled bimonthly from July 2008 to May 2011, and measurements of ammonia oxidiser abundance and activity compared to a range of environmental variables including salinity, temperature, water column nutrients and sediment carbon and nitrogen content. Despite a higher abundance of AOA amoA genes within all sediments, and at all time-points, rates of ammonia oxidation correlated with AOB and not AOA amoA gene abundance. Other than ammonia oxidation rate, sediment particle size was the only variable that correlated with the spatial and temporal patterns of AOB amoA gene abundance, implying a preference of the AOB for larger sediment particles. This is possibly due to deeper oxygen penetration into the sandier sediments, increasing the area available for ammonia oxidation to occur, higher concentrations of inhibitory sulphide with pore waters of muddier sediments or a combination of both oxygen and sulphide concentrations. Similar to many other temporal studies of nitrification within estuarine and coastal sediments, decreases in AOB amoA gene abundance were evident during summer and autumn, with maximum abundance and ammonia oxidation rates occurring in winter and early spring. The lack of correlation between AOA amoA gene abundance and ammonium oxidation rate suggests an alternative role for amoA-carrying AOA within these sediments.
Project description:To study the soil mcirobial functional communities and the nutrient cycles couplings changes after exposure to different contaminant
Project description:Ammonia-oxidizing archaeal (AOA) amoA diversity and relative abundance in Gulf of Mexico sediments (0-2 cm) were investigated using a functional gene microarray; a two color array with a universal internal standard Two color array (cy3 and cy5): the universal standard 20 bp oligo (fluoresced with cy5) is printed to the slide with a 70-mer. Environmental DNA sequences (fluoresced with Cy3) within 15% of the 70-mer will bind to it. Signal is the cy3/cy5. Up to four arrays per sample, with two biological replicates made into two targets, each run on duplicate arrays.
