Effect of pyrene on denitrification activity and abundance and composition of denitrifying community in an agricultural soil

Toxicity of pyrene on the denitrifiers was studied by spiking an agricultural soil with pyrene to a series of concentrations (0–500 mg kg−1) followed by dose–response and dynamic incubation experiments. Results showed a positive correlation between potential denitrification activity and copy numbers of denitrifying functional genes (nirK, nirS and nosZ), and were both negatively correlated with pyrene concentrations. Based on the comparison of EC50 values, denitrifiers harboring nirK, nirS or nosZ gene were more sensitive than denitrification activity, and denitrifiers harboring nirS gene were more sensitive than that harboring nirK or nosZ genes. Seven days after spiking with EC50 concentration of pyrene, denitrifiers diversity decreased and community composition changed in comparison with the control. Phylogenetic analyses of three genes showed that the addition of pyrene increased the proportion of Bradyrhizobiaceae, Rhodospirillales, Burkholderiales and Pseudomonadales. Some species belonging to these groups were reported to be able to degrade PAHs.

► Toxicity of pyrene on the denitrifiers was studied by spiking an agricultural soil with pyrene.
► PDA was positively correlated with the abundance of denitrifiers harboring nirK, nirS or nosZ gene.
► Both PDA and the abundance of denitrifiers were negatively correlated with pyrene concentrations.
► Denitrifiers harboring nirk, nirS or nosZ gene are more sensitive to pyrene than PDA in soils.