Nitrospira is the most diverse genus of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, and its members are widely spread in various natural and engineered ecosystems. In this study, the phylogenetic diversity of Nitrospira and monthly changes of its abundance from Zhanjiang Bay were investigated. Phylogenetic analysis showed that among 58 OTUs with high abundance, 74% were not affiliated with any previously described Nitrospira species, revealing a previously unrecognized diversity of coastal Nitrospira. The abundances of both Nitrospira and Nitrospina exhibited a significantly monthly change. During most of the months, abundance of Nitrospina was greater than that of Nitrospira. In particle-attached communities, either abundance of Nitrospina or Nitrospira was highly correlated with that of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), whereas abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria was only highly correlated with that of Nitrospina. In free-living communities, either abundance of Nitrospina or Nitrospira was correlated only with that of AOA. These results suggest that both Nitrospira and Nitrospina can be involved in nitrite oxidation by coupling with AOA, but Nitrospina may play a greater role than Nitrospira in this tropical bay.

中文翻译：

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热带海湾硝化螺菌数量和群落结构的时空变化

Nitrospira 是亚硝酸盐氧化细菌中最多样化的一个属，其成员广泛分布在各种自然和工程生态系统中。本研究对湛江湾硝化螺菌系统发育多样性及其丰度的月变化进行了研究。系统发育分析表明，在 58 个高丰度的 OTU 中，74% 不隶属于任何先前描述的 Nitrospira 物种，揭示了以前未识别的沿海 Nitrospira 的多样性。Nitrospira 和 Nitrospina 的丰度均呈现显着的月度变化。在大部分月份中，Nitrospina 的丰度高于 Nitrospira。在颗粒附着群落中，Nitrospina 或 Nitrospira 的丰度与氨氧化古菌 (AOA) 的丰度高度相关，而氨氧化细菌的丰度仅与 Nitrospina 高度相关。在自由生活的社区中，Nitrospina 或 Nitrospira 的丰度仅与 AOA 的丰度相关。这些结果表明 Nitrospira 和 Nitrospina 都可以通过与 AOA 偶联参与亚硝酸盐氧化，但 Nitrospina 在这个热带海湾中可能比 Nitrospira 发挥更大的作用。