Diversity of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea and Bacteria Across Physical-Chemical Gradients in San Francisco Bay Estuary Sediments

A combination of recent metagenomic analyses and the cultivation of a novel, ammonia-oxidizing, marine crenarchaeota revealed the first evidence for nitrification within the Archaeal domain. Further genetic and metagenomic studies demonstrated the presence of ammonia-oxidizing crenarchaea in diverse marine and terrestrial environments. These discoveries challenge the currently accepted view of the global nitrogen cycle and validate the need for further research on microbial diversity and function. In particular, it is imperative to reexamine the microbial communities involved in ammonia oxidation in marine and estuarine sediments, where this process plays a pivotal role in the cycling and removal of nitrogen. Using phylogenetic analyses of ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene sequences, we examined the distribution and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) in San Francisco Bay, the largest estuary on the West coast of the United States. The highly impacted bay, encompassing nearly 178,000 km2, effectively connects two estuaries with varying physical-chemical characteristics to the Pacific Ocean. We recovered archaeal and bacterial amoA genes from 11 sites distributed throughout the bay, spanning the northern and southern estuaries and the central region where they connect to the ocean. Richness estimates varied considerably across all sites examined, with archaeal amoA estimates being generally higher than bacterial amoA. Several of the bacterial amoA libraries were represented by fewer than 3 genotypes. Archaeal amoA sequences were phylogenetically diverse and grouped within previously described sediment and soil/sediment clusters. Several sequences were closely related to the only cultivated AOA, Nitrosopumilus maritimus. Both the archaeal and bacterial amoA sequences showed significant regional specificity. Distinct populations exist in the northern and southern estuaries and sequences from the northernmost and southernmost sites clustered independently. The central region of the bay appears to contain a blend of the northern and southern estuary ammonia-oxidizing communities. Overall, this study suggests that sedimentary AOA and AOB may respond similarly to environmental gradients in the San Francisco Bay estuary.