Response of activity and community composition of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria to partial substitution of chemical fertilizer by organic fertilizer

Nitrite oxidation as the second step of nitrification can become the determining step in disturbed soil systems. As a beneficial fertilization practice to maintain high crop yield and soil fertility, partial substitution of chemical fertilizer (CF) by organic fertilizer (OF) may exert a notable disturbance to soil systems. However, how nitrite oxidation responds to different proportions of CF to OF is still unclear. We sampled soils from a 4-year field experiment subject to a gradient of increasing proportions of OF to CF application. Activity, size, and structure of Nitrospira-like and Nitrobacter-like nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) community were measured. The results revealed that with increasing proportion of OF to CF application, potential nitrite oxidation activity (PNO) showed a marked decreasing trend. PNO was significantly correlated with the abundance of Nitrobacter-like but not Nitrospira-like NOB. The abundance of Nitrobacter-like was significantly influenced by soil organic matter, organic nitrogen (N), and available N. In addition, PNO was also affected by the structure of Nitrobacter-like NOB. The relative abundance of Nitrobacter hamburgensis, alkalicus, winogradskyi, and vulgaris responded differently to the proportions of OF to CF application. Organic N, organic matter, and available N were the main factor shaping their community structure. Overall, Nitrobacter-like NOB is more sensitive and plays a more important role than Nitrospira-like NOB in responding to different proportions of OF to CF application.