Environmental factors shaping the ecological niches of ammonia-oxidizing archaea

作者：Tuba Hande Ergüder, Nico Boon, Lieven Wittebolle, Massimo Marzorati, Willy Verstraete · 发表于：FEMS Microbiology Reviews · 年份：2009 · DOI：10.1111/j.1574-6976.2009.00179.x · 被引用次数：701 · 研究领域：Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology、Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal、Marine and coastal ecosystems

For more than 100 years it was believed that bacteria were the only group responsible for the oxidation of ammonia. However, recently, a new strain of archaea bearing a putative ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene and able to oxidize ammonia was isolated from a marine aquarium tank. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) were subsequently discovered in many ecosystems of varied characteristics and even found as the predominant causal organisms in some environments. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on the environmental conditions related to the presence of AOA and discuss the possible site-related properties. Considering these data, we deduct the possible niches of AOA based on pH, sulfide and phosphate levels. It is proposed that the AOA might be important actors within the nitrogen cycle in low-nutrient, low-pH, and sulfide-containing environments.