title: Microbial community structure of relict niter-beds previously used for saltpeter production.
abstract: From the 16th to the 18th centuries in Japan, saltpeter was produced using a biological niter-bed process and was formed under the floor of gassho-style houses in the historic villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, which are classified as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites. The relict niter-beds are now conserved in the underfloor space of gassho-style houses, where they are isolated from destabilizing environmental factors and retain the ability to produce nitrate. However, little is known about the nitrifying microbes in such relict niter-bed ecosystems. In this study, the microbial community structures within nine relict niter-bed soils were investigated using 454 pyrotag analysis targeting the 16S rRNA gene and the bacterial and archaeal ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA). The 16S rRNA gene pyrotag analysis showed that members of the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadetes, and Planctomycetes were major microbial constituents, and principal coordinate analysis showed that the NO3-, Cl-, K+, and Na+ contents were potential determinants of the structures of entire microbial communities in relict niter-bed soils. The bacterial and archaeal amoA libraries indicated that members of the Nitrosospira-type ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and "Ca. Nitrososphaera"-type ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), respectively, predominated in relict niter-bed soils. In addition, soil pH and organic carbon content were important factors for the ecological niche of AOB and AOA in relict niter-bed soil ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Narihiro
authors.affiliation: Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamaki
authors.affiliation: Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akiba
authors.affiliation: FASMAC Co., Ltd., Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takasaki
authors.affiliation: FASMAC Co., Ltd., Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.affiliation: Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamagata
authors.affiliation: Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hanada
authors.affiliation: Shubun University, Ichinomiya, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: Taizo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maji
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D008906:Mining; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism*; D017680:Potassium Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D017680:Potassium Compounds; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C023844:potassium nitrate
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