文摘
In batch experiments, we studied the isotope fractionation in N and O of dissolved nitrate during dentrification. Denitrifying strains Thauera aromatica and 鈥?i>Aromatoleum aromaticum strain EbN1鈥?were grown under strictly anaerobic conditions with acetate, benzoate, and toluene as carbon sources. up>18up>O-labeled water and up>18up>O-labeled nitrite were added to the microcosm experiments to study the effect of putative backward reactions of nitrite to nitrate on the stable isotope fractionation. We found no evidence for a reverse reaction. Significant variations of the stable isotope enrichment factor 蔚 were observed depending on the type of carbon source used. For toluene (蔚up>15up>N, 鈭?8.1 卤 0.6鈥?to 鈭?.3 卤 1.4鈥? 蔚up>18up>O, 鈭?6.5 卤 0.6鈥?to 鈭?6.1 卤 1.5鈥? and benzoate (蔚up>15up>N, 鈭?8.9 卤 1.3鈥? 蔚up>18up>O, 鈭?5.9 卤 1.1鈥? less negative isotope enrichment factors were calculated compared to those derived from acetate (蔚up>15up>N, 鈭?3.5 卤 1.9鈥?to 鈭?2.1 卤 0.8鈥? 蔚up>18up>O, 鈭?3.7 卤 1.8鈥?to 鈭?9.9 卤 0.8鈥?. The observed isotope effects did not depend on the growth kinetics which were similar for the three types of electron donors. We suggest that different carbon sources change the observed isotope enrichment factors by changing the relative kinetics of nitrate transport across the cell wall compared to the kinetics of the intracellular nitrate reduction step of microbial denitrification.