The vertical distribution and metabolic versatility of complete ammonia oxidizing communities in mangrove sediments

Abstract

Recently discovered complete ammonia-oxidizing (comammox) microorganisms can completely oxidize ammonia to nitrate and play an important role in the nitrogen (N) cycle across various ecosystems. However, little is known about the vertical distribution and metabolic versatility of comammox communities in mangrove ecosystems. Here we profiled comammox communities from deep sediments (up to 5 m) in a mangrove wetland by combining metagenome sequencing and physicochemical properties analysis. Our results showed that the relative abundance of comammox bacteria (23.2 %) was higher than ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB, 12.0 %), but lower than ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA, 64.8 %). The abundance of comammox communities significantly (p < 0.01) decreased with the sediment depth, and dissolved organic carbon and total sulfur appeared to be major environmental factors influencing the nitrifying microbial community structure. We also recovered a high-quality metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) of comammox bacteria (Nitrospira sp. bin2030) affiliated with comammox clade A. Nitrospira sp. bin2030 possessed diverse metabolic processes, not only the key genes for ammonia oxidation and urea utilization in the N cycle, but also key genes involved in carbon and energy metabolisms, sulfur metabolism, and environmental adaptation (e.g., oxidative stress, salinity, temperature, heavy metal tolerance). The findings advance our understanding of vertical distribution and metabolic versatility of comammox communities in mangrove sediments, having important implications for quantifying their contribution to nitrification processes in mangrove ecosystems.