Effects of mercury on the activity and community composition of soil ammonia oxidizers

Abstract

Purpose: Experiments were conducted to examine the effects of mercury (Hg) on soil nitrification activities and the microbial communities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA). Methods: The soil samples spiked with different Hg concentrations were incubated for a period of 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks in triplicate and the potential nitrification rate (PNR) of the samples was determined. The abundance of AOB and AOA was measured after an 8-week incubation by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay of the amoA genes, while the community compositions by cloning and sequencing approaches. Results: The soil PNR differed with different incubation periods. It tend..