Metabolism of labeled organic nitrogen in soil: regulation by inorganic nitrogen

Abstract

Regulation of organic N metabolism by inorganic N availability was investigated in short-term laboratory incubations of soil. A 14C-, 15N-labeled organic N substrate was produced by growing Pseudomonas stutzeri in labeled media and isolating a cytoplasmic fraction. This was added to soils that had been preincubated with glucose or glucose plus NH+4 to induce conditions of N deficiency or sufficiency. Regulation by inorganic N was indicated by stimulated proteolytic enzyme activity and greater initial rates of cytoplasmic 14C mineralization in N deficient soils. However, effects of N deficiency on 14C mineralization persisted for no more than 24 h. Preinduced N deficiency significantly decreased the extent of 15N mineralized from cytoplasmic N. Mineralization of 14C from leucine added to soil was similarly affected by N availability, yet 14C-glutamate mineralization was apparently unaffected. In another experiment labeled cytoplasm was added simultaneously with or without a larger quantity of glucose. The glucose caused virtually complete assimilation of 15N but had no effect on apparent assimilation of 14C. Thus, there was no relationship between 15N assimilation and 14C assimilation, suggesting that the C and N contained in organic N are processed separately by soil microbes. Inorganic N availability may have short-term effects on metabolism of C in organic N but long-lasting effects appear to be minimal.