Emissions of the trace gas nitrous oxide (N2O) play an important role for the greenhouse effect and stratospheric ozone depletion, but the impacts of climate change on N2O fluxes and the underlying microbial drivers remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of sustained climate change on field N2O fluxes and associated microbial enzymatic activities, microbial population abundance and community diversity in an extensively managed, upland grassland. We recorded N2O fluxes, nitrification and denitrification, microbial population size involved in these processes and community structure of nitrite reducers (nirK) in a grassland exposed for 4\uffc2\uffa0years to elevated atmospheric CO2 (+200\uffc2\uffa0ppm), elevated temperature (+3.5\uffc2\uffa0\uffc2\uffb0C) and reduction of summer precipitations (\uffe2\uff88\uff9220%) as part of a long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term, multifactor climate change experiment. Our results showed that both warming and simultaneous application of warming, summer drought and elevated CO2 had a positive effect on N2O fluxes, nitrification, N2O release by denitrification and the population size of N2O reducers and NH4 oxidizers. In situ N2O fluxes showed a stronger correlation with microbial population size under warmed conditions compared with the control site. Specific lineages of nirK denitrifier communities responded significantly to temperature. In addition, nirK community composition showed significant changes in response to drought. Path analysis explained more than 85% of in situ N2O fluxes variance by soil temperature, denitrification activity and specific denitrifying lineages. Overall, our study underlines that climate\uffe2\uff80\uff90induced changes in grassland N2O emissions reflect climate\uffe2\uff80\uff90induced changes in microbial community structure, which in turn modify microbial processes.
", "keywords": ["d\u00e9nitrification", "Biodiversit\u00e9 et Ecologie", "551", "AOB", "diversity", "Biodiversity and Ecology", "nosZ", "[SDV.EE.ECO] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", " environment/Ecosystems", "nirK", "Milieux et Changements globaux", "2. Zero hunger", "changement climatique", "denitrification", "grasslands", "N2O", "prairie", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "nitrification", "6. Clean water", "[SDE.BE] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "climate change", "13. Climate action", "[SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology", "AOB;changement climatique;d\u00e9nitrification;diversit\u00e9;prairie;N2O;nitrification", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology", "environment/Ecosystems"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://hal.science/halsde-00722571/file/Cantarel_gcb12_1.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02692.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02692.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02692.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02692.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2012-05-08T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02470.x", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:18:55Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2011-07-06", "title": "Can Differences In Microbial Abundances Help Explain Enhanced N2o Emissions In A Permanent Grassland Under Elevated Atmospheric Co2?", "description": "AbstractLong\uffe2\uff80\uff90term effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on the ammonia\uffe2\uff80\uff90oxidizing and denitrifying bacteria in a grassland soil were investigated to test whether a shift in abundance of these N\uffe2\uff80\uff90cycling microorganisms was responsible for enhanced N2O emissions under elevated atmospheric CO2. Soil samples (7.5\uffc2\uffa0cm increments to 45\uffc2\uffa0cm depth) were collected in 2008 from the University of Giessen Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (GiFACE), a permanent grassland exposed to moderately elevated atmospheric CO2 (+20%) since 1998. GiFACE plots lay on a soil moisture gradient because of gradually changing depth to the underlying water table and labeled as the DRY block (furthest from water table), MED block (intermediate to water table), and WET block (nearest to water table). Mean N2O emissions measured since 1998 have been significantly higher under elevated CO2. This study sought to identify microbial and biochemical parameters that might explain higher N2O emissions under elevated CO2. Soil biochemical parameters [extractable organic carbon (EOC), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), NH4+, NO3\uffe2\uff88\uff92], and abundances of genes encoding the key enzymes involved in ammonia oxidation (amoA) and denitrification (nirK, nirS, nosZ) depended more on soil depth and block (underlying soil moisture gradient) than on elevated CO2. Ammonia oxidation and denitrification gene abundances, relative abundances (ratios) of nirS to nirK, of nosZ to both nirS and to nirK, and of the measured soil biochemical properties DON and NO3\uffe2\uff88\uff92 tended to be lower in elevated CO2 plots as compared with ambient plots in the MED and WET blocks while the DRY block exhibited an opposite trend. High N2O emissions under elevated CO2 in the MED and WET blocks correlated with lower nosZ to nirK ratios, suggesting that increased N2O emissions under elevated CO2 might be caused by a higher proportion of N2O\uffe2\uff80\uff90producing rather than N2O consuming (N2 producing) denitrifiers.
", "keywords": ["nirS", "2. Zero hunger", "N2O emissions", "denitrification", "[SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "AOA", "6. Clean water", "AOB", "soil", "Enrichissement en gaz carbonique", "[SDE.MCG] Environmental Sciences/Global Changes", "Concentration \u00e9lev\u00e9e en CO2", "nosZ", "FACE", "13. Climate action", "ammonia oxidation", "nirK", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02470.x"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Global%20Change%20Biology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02470.x", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02470.x", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02470.x"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2011-07-10T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1128/aem.00033-11", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:19:11Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2011-04-23", "title": "Association Of Earthworm-Denitrifier Interactions With Increased Emission Of Nitrous Oxide From Soil Mesocosms Amended With Crop Residue", "description": "ABSTRACTEarthworm activity is known to increase emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) from arable soils. Earthworm gut, casts, and burrows have exhibited higher denitrification activities than the bulk soil, implicating priming of denitrifying organisms as a possible mechanism for this effect. Furthermore, the earthworm feeding strategy may drive N 2 O emissions, as it determines access to fresh organic matter for denitrification. Here, we determined whether interactions between earthworm feeding strategy and the soil denitrifier community can predict N 2 O emissions from the soil. We set up a 90-day mesocosm experiment in which 15 N-labeled maize ( Zea mays L.) was either mixed in or applied on top of the soil in the presence or absence of the epigeic earthworm Lumbricus rubellus and/or the endogeic earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa . We measured N 2 O fluxes and tested the bulk soil for denitrification enzyme activity and the abundance of 16S rRNA and denitrifier genes nirS and nosZ through real-time quantitative PCR. Compared to the control, L. rubellus increased denitrification enzyme activity and N 2 O emissions on days 21 and 90 (day 21, P = 0.034 and P = 0.002, respectively; day 90, P = 0.001 and P = 0.007, respectively), as well as cumulative N 2 O emissions (76%; P = 0.014). A. caliginosa activity led to a transient increase of N 2 O emissions on days 8 to 18 of the experiment. Abundance of nosZ was significantly increased (100%) on day 90 in the treatment mixture containing L. rubellus alone. We conclude that L. rubellus increased cumulative N 2 O emissions by affecting denitrifier community activity via incorporation of fresh residue into the soil and supplying a steady, labile carbon source.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "agricultural soil", "Bacteria", "nosz genes", "carbon", "Nitrous Oxide", "n2o emission", "n2o-producing microorganisms", "04 agricultural and veterinary sciences", "15. Life on land", "pcr data", "microbial activity", "Animal Feed", "Zea mays", "lumbricus-rubellus", "Soil", "Denitrification", "Animals", "0401 agriculture", " forestry", " and fisheries", "community composition", "Oligochaeta", "organic-matter"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00033-11"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20and%20Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1128/aem.00033-11", "name": "item", "description": "10.1128/aem.00033-11", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1128/aem.00033-11"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2011-06-15T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3389/fmicb.2015.01104", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-07-25T16:20:47Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2015-10-14", "title": "Environmental and microbial factors influencing methane and nitrous oxide fluxes in Mediterranean cork oak woodlands: trees make a difference", "description": "Cork oak woodlands (montado) are agroforestry systems distributed all over the Mediterranean basin with a very important social, economic and ecological value. A generalized cork oak decline has been occurring in the last decades jeopardizing its future sustainability. It is unknown how loss of tree cover affects microbial processes that are consuming greenhouse gases in the montado ecosystem. The study was conducted under two different conditions in the natural understory of a cork oak woodland in center Portugal: under tree canopy (UC) and open areas without trees (OA). Fluxes of methane and nitrous oxide were measured with a static chamber technique. In order to quantify methanotrophs and bacteria capable of nitrous oxide consumption, we used quantitative real-time PCR targeting the pmoA and nosZ genes encoding the subunit of particulate methane mono-oxygenase and catalytic subunit of the nitrous oxide reductase, respectively. A significant seasonal effect was found on CH4 and N2O fluxes and pmoA and nosZ gene abundance. Tree cover had no effect on methane fluxes; conversely, whereas the UC plots were net emitters of nitrous oxide, the loss of tree cover resulted in a shift in the emission pattern such that the OA plots were a net sink for nitrous oxide. In a seasonal time scale, the UC had higher gene abundance of Type I methanotrophs. Methane flux correlated negatively with abundance of Type I methanotrophs in the UC plots. Nitrous oxide flux correlated negatively with nosZ gene abundance at the OA plots in contrast to that at the UC plots. In the UC soil, soil organic matter had a positive effect on soil extracellular enzyme activities, which correlated positively with the N2O flux. Our results demonstrated that tree cover affects soil properties, key enzyme activities and abundance of microorganisms and, consequently net CH4 and N2O exchange.", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "nitrous oxide", "methane", "enzymes", "Nitrous Oxide", "Mediterranean", "15. Life on land", "Microbiology", "QR1-502", "Enzymes", "03 medical and health sciences", "methanotrophs", "nosZ", "13. Climate action", "oak woodland", "Methane", "pmoA"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.01104"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Frontiers%20in%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3389/fmicb.2015.01104", "name": "item", "description": "10.3389/fmicb.2015.01104", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3389/fmicb.2015.01104"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2015-10-14T00:00:00Z"}}], "links": [{"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "This document as GeoJSON", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=nosZ&f=json", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "alternate", "type": "text/html", "title": "This document as HTML", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=nosZ&f=html", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection URL", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"type": "application/geo+json", "rel": "first", "title": "items (first)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=nosZ&", "hreflang": "en-US"}, {"rel": "last", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "items (last)", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items?keywords=nosZ&offset=5", "hreflang": "en-US"}], "numberMatched": 5, "numberReturned": 5, "distributedFeatures": [], "timeStamp": "2026-07-26T14:00:34.267012Z"}