Denitrification

This chapter elucidates the basic biological and biochemical properties of denitrification and determines the extent of its occurrence in terrestrial ecosystems, especially in intensively cultivated agricultural soils and in wetland sites that could potentially bear the brunt of the influx of water from associated agricultural soils. It discusses the pathways for biological reduction of soil nitrate. Soil fixed nitrogen resources may be conserved through both assimilatory and dissimilatory nitrate reductive processes. The chapter describes the environmental implications of nitrous oxide which is a common product of denitrification. It discusses the microbiology of denitrification, including assessment of soil denitrifier populations, general traits of denitrifiers, and generic identity of denitrifiers. The chapter assesses the principles, advantages, and deficiencies of techniques for the quantification of nitrogen losses from an ecosystem via denitrification. It also evaluates the environmental factors controlling denitrification rates and their effect in native soil systems.