Linking N2O emissions from biochar-amended soil to the structure and function of the N-cycling microbial community
Open accessAbstract
Nitrous oxide (N2O) contributes 8% to global greenhouse gas emissions. Agricultural sources represent about 60% of anthropogenic N2O emissions. Most agricultural N2O emissions are due to increased fertilizer application. A considerable fraction of nitrogen fertilizers are converted to N2O by microbiological processes (that is, nitrification and denitrification). Soil amended with biochar (charcoal created by pyrolysis of biomass) has been demonstrated to increase crop yield, improve soil quality and affect greenhouse gas emissions, for example, reduce N2O emissions. Despite several studies on variations in the general microbial community structure due to soil biochar amendment, hitherto the specific role of the nitrogen cycling microbial community in mitigating soil N2O emissions has not been subject of systematic investigation. We performed a microcosm study with a water-saturated soil amended with different amounts (0%, 2% and 10% (w/w)) of high-temperature biochar. By quantifying the abundance and activity of functional marker genes of microbial nitrogen fixation (nifH), nitrification (amoA) and denitrification (nirK, nirS and nosZ) using quantitative PCR we found that biochar addition enhanced microbial nitrous oxide reduction and increased the abundance of microorganisms capable of N2-fixation. Soil biochar amendment increased the relative gene and transcript copy numbers of the nosZ-encoded bacterial N2O reductase, suggesting a mechanistic link to the observed reduction in N2O emissions. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the impact of biochar on the nitrogen cycling microbial community and the consequences of soil biochar amendment for microbial nitrogen transformation processes and N2O emissions from soil.
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In the same microcosm study, abundance of bacteria capable of N2 fixation increased.
“Additionally, abundance of bacteria capable of N 2 fixation were found to be increased (Harter et al., 2014)”
From Comparing straw, compost, and biochar regarding their suitability as agricultural soil amendments to affect soil structure, nutrient leaching, microbial communities, and the fate of pesticides (2021) · cites this paper as Harter et al., 2014
In a microcosm study with water-saturated biochar-amended soils, transcription of bacterial N2O reductase increased, leading to reduced N2O emissions.
“in a microcosm study with water-saturated soils amended with biochar, the transcription of bacterial N 2 O reductase was increased, which led to a reduction in N 2 O emissions”
From Comparing straw, compost, and biochar regarding their suitability as agricultural soil amendments to affect soil structure, nutrient leaching, microbial communities, and the fate of pesticides (2021) · cites this paper as Harter et al., 2014
Biochar application promotes the expression of nosZ gene of denitrifiers, leading to complete reduction of NO3- to N2 instead of N2O.
“Biochar application is known to promote the expression of nosZ gene of the denitrifiers, leading to a complete reduction of NO 3 -to N 2 instead of N 2 O (Harter et al. 2014; Lyu et al. 2022; Van Zwieten et al. 2014).”
From Role of biochar toward carbon neutrality (2023) · cites this paper as Harter et al. 2014
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- Authors
- Harter, J., Krause, H.-M., Schuettler, S., Ruser, R., Fromme, M., Scholten, T., Kappler, A., & Behrens, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Tübingen (DE)
- University of Hohenheim (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Behrens, Sebastian
- ORCID
- Venue
- The ISME Journal
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2013-09-26
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 660-674
- ISSN
- 1751-7362 (ISSN-L)
- 1751-7370
- PMC
- PMC3930306
- OpenAlex
- W2105392300
- Cited by
- 679
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 49 · 2025: 51 · 2024: 66 · 2023: 75 · 2022: 57 · 2021: 73 · 2020: 65 · 2019: 64 · 2018: 53 · 2017: 39 · 2016: 43 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 42.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The ISME Journal (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Organic Eprints (International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems, and Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Universität Hohenheim
- Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Keywords
- nitrous oxide emissions, biochar amendment, nitrification, denitrification, microbial nitrogen fixation, nosZ, N2O reductase, nifH gene, amoA gene, nirK, near-infrared spectroscopy, agricultural soils
- MeSH terms
- Charcoal, Fertilizers, Nitrogen, Nitrous Oxide, Soil, Soil Microbiology, Denitrification
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