Niche specialization of comammox Nitrospira clade A in terrestrial ecosystems

Abstract

Comammox Nitrospira are a newly discovered group of nitrifying prokaryotes and might be key contributors to nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Their large-scale distribution patterns and the dominant environmental factors shaping their ecological niches are not yet well documented. Here, we investigated the biogeographic distribution of comammox Nitrospira over 4000 km in eastern Australia and explored the niche specialization of individual comammox Nitrospira phylotypes. Our results revealed that the abundance, richness and community composition of comammox Nitrospira clade A were best predicted by mean annual precipitation (MAP) among all the determined environmental parameters. W..