The DOI matches its Crossref record; 52 of the 52 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Have we overemphasized the role of denitrification in aquatic ecosystems? A review of nitrate removal pathways
Abstract
The removal of nitrogen (N) in aquatic ecosystems is of great interest because excessive nitrate in groundwater and surface water is a growing problem. High nitrate loading degrades water quality and is linked to eutrophication and harmful algal blooms, especially in coastal marine waters. Past research on nitrate removal processes has emphasized plant or microbial uptake (assimilation) or respiratory denitrification by bacteria. The increasing application of stable isotopes and other tracer techniques to the study of nitrate removal has yielded a growing body of evidence for alternative, microbially mediated processes of nitrate transformation. These include dissimilatory (the reduction of nitrogen into other inorganic compounds, coupled to energy producing processes) reduction of nitrate to ammonium (DNRA), chemoautotrophic denitrification via sulfur or iron oxidation, and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), as well as abiotic nitrate removal processes. Here, we review evidence for the importance of alternative nitrate removal pathways in aquatic ecosystems and discuss how the possible prevalence of these pathways may alter views of N cycling and its controls. These alternative pathways are of particular importance for the management of excess N in the environment, especially in cases where nitrate is transformed to ammonium, a biologically available and less mobile N form, rather than to dinitrogen gas.
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Howarth, R., Chan, F., Conley, D. J., Garnier, J., Doney, S. C., Marino, R., & Billen, G. (2011) · Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment · doi:10.1890/100008 · Cited by 866
Denitrifying bioreactors—an approach for reducing nitrate loads to receiving waters
Schipper, L. A., Robertson, W. D., Gold, A. J., Jaynes, D. B., & Cameron, S. C. (2010) · Ecological Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2010.04.008 · Cited by 573
“In this review, we focus on eterotrophic denitrification but we recognise that other microial processes such as anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) nd chemo-autotrophic denitrification can also produce N gases Burgin and Hamilton, 2007).”
BackgroundFarming for ecosystem services: An ecological approach to production agriculture
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Self-citationARE RIVERS JUST BIG STREAMS? A PULSE METHOD TO QUANTIFY NITROGEN DEMAND IN A LARGE RIVER
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Metadata
- Authors
- Burgin, A. J., & Hamilton, S. K.
- Affiliations
- Michigan State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Burgin, Amy J.
- Venue
- Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2007-03
- Volume
- 5
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 89-96
- ISSN
- 1540-9295 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2119097801
- Semantic Scholar
- 438e87640024cbc3972bb1f0e9eb4b5ab51ab26c
- Cited by
- 1,112
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 60 · 2025: 63 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 72 · 2021: 79 · 2020: 96 · 2019: 75 · 2018: 74 · 2017: 65 · 2016: 60 · 2015: 62 · 2014: 74 · 2013: 47 · 2012: 66
- FWCI
- 21.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (publishedVersion)
- KU ScholarWorks (University of Kansas) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine Plankton and Biogeochemistry
- Keywords
- nitrate removal, denitrification, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, anammox, stable isotopes, nitrogen assimilation, eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, groundwater nitrate contamination, nitrogen management
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