Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacterial Strains Isolated from Soils of Andean Ecosystems and Their Potential Use in Nitrogen Reduction

Nitrification is part of the nitrogen cycle that occurs naturally in ecosystems. It is related to the presence of microorganisms and their metabolism, especially bacteria, which are involved in oxidizing compounds such as NH4+ and NO2- to NO3-. In this study, we evaluated the nitrification potential in 12 bacteria strains that belong to the genera Aeromonas, Bacillus, Buttiauxella, Mycobacterium, Paenibacillus, Serratia, and Yersenia, which are part of the cultivable microbial community from soil in a native forest and pine forest in The Labrado area within the Machangara micro-watershed in the Andes located in the south of Ecuador. This investigation aims to identify heterotrophic and lithoautotrophic strains using specific culture media for ammonium oxidative (AOL-AOH) and nitrate oxidation bacteria (ONL-ONH). The formation of nitrifying halos in the culture media allowed the identification of 10 strains with nitrifying potential. Five strains were from the pine forest, four were isolated from the native forest, and one strain was shared between both forests. The Serratia and Yersinia genera have a high NO2- oxidation capacity. Their inoculation in synthetic water rich in nitrogenous products allowed us to determine 40% and 94% nitrite reduction percentages and cell retention times of 20 to 40 days. Our results are promising for their possible potential use in environmental bioremediation processes through inoculation in wastewater for the biological removal of nitrogenous compounds.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the nitrification potential of 12 bacterial strains isolated from native forest and pine forest in the Andes of southern Ecuador. Ten strains were identified with nitrifying potential, with Serratia and Yersinia genera showing higher nitrite oxidation capacity. The results suggest the potential use of these strains in environmental bioremediation processes for the removal of nitrogenous compounds.