N2O production, a widespread trait in fungi

Sci Rep. 2015 Apr 20:5:9697. doi: 10.1038/srep09697.

Abstract

N2O is a powerful greenhouse gas contributing both to global warming and ozone depletion. While fungi have been identified as a putative source of N2O, little is known about their production of this greenhouse gas. Here we investigated the N2O-producing ability of a collection of 207 fungal isolates. Seventy strains producing N2O in pure culture were identified. They were mostly species from the order Hypocreales order-particularly Fusarium oxysporum and Trichoderma spp.-and to a lesser extent species from the orders Eurotiales, Sordariales, and Chaetosphaeriales. The N2O (15)N site preference (SP) values of the fungal strains ranged from 15.8‰ to 36.7‰, and we observed a significant taxa effect, with Penicillium strains displaying lower SP values than the other fungal genera. Inoculation of 15 N2O-producing strains into pre-sterilized arable, forest and grassland soils confirmed the ability of the strains to produce N2O in soil with a significant strain-by-soil effect. The copper-containing nitrite reductase gene (nirK) was amplified from 45 N2O-producing strains, and its genetic variability showed a strong congruence with the ITS phylogeny, indicating vertical inheritance of this trait. Taken together, this comprehensive set of findings should enhance our knowledge of fungi as a source of N2O in the environment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Biomass
  • Chromatography, Gas
  • DNA / analysis
  • Fungi / genetics
  • Fungi / isolation & purification
  • Fungi / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nitrite Reductases / classification
  • Nitrite Reductases / genetics
  • Nitrogen Isotopes / chemistry
  • Nitrogen Oxides / analysis
  • Nitrogen Oxides / chemistry
  • Nitrogen Oxides / metabolism*
  • Phylogeny
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Soil Microbiology

Substances

  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Nitrogen Oxides
  • DNA
  • Nitrite Reductases
  • nitrite reductase, copper-containing

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AB904794
  • GENBANK/AB904795
  • GENBANK/AB904796
  • GENBANK/AB904797
  • GENBANK/AB904798
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  • GENBANK/AB904818
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  • GENBANK/AB904828
  • GENBANK/AB904829
  • GENBANK/AB904830