Nitrogen dynamics in geo- and hydro-thermal environments elucidated from isotope geochemistry and microbiology

本研究首次表明，在富氨温泉中，嗜热古菌的氨氧化作用主要为微生物群落的发育提供化学能。相比之下，培养实验首次表明，在氨缺乏的热液环境中，超嗜热甲烷菌的固氮作用是调节地下微生物群落初级生产的关键过程。

This study first showed that ammonia oxidation by thermophilic archaea mainly provided chemical energy for the development of microbial community in an ammonia-rich hot spring. In contrast, culture experiments first suggest that nitrogen fixation by hyperthermophilic methanogen is a key process to regulate primary production of subsurface microbial communities in ammonia-poor hydrothermal environments.