Relative importance between nitrification and denitrification to N2O from a global perspective

Nitrous oxide (N2 O) is a potent greenhouse gas, and its mitigation is a pressing task in the coming decade. However, it remains unclear which specific process between concurrent nitrification and denitrification dominates worldwide N2 O emission. We snagged an opportunity to ascertain whence the N2 O came and which were the controlling factors on the basis of 1315 soil N2 O observations from 74 peer-reviewed articles. The average N2 O emission derived from nitrification (N2 On ) was higher than that from denitrification (N2 Od ) worldwide. The ratios of nitrification-derived N2 O to denitrification-derived N2 O, hereof N2 On :N2 Od , exhibited large variations across terrestrial ecosystems. Although soil carbon and nitrogen content, pH, moisture, and clay content accounted for a part of the geographical variations in the N2 On :N2 Od ratio, ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOM):denitrifier ratio was the pivotal driver for the N2 On :N2 Od ratios, since the AOM:denitrfier ratio accounted for 53.7% of geographical variations in N2 On :N2 Od ratios. Compared with natural ecosystems, soil pH exerted a more remarkable role to dictate the N2 On :N2 Od ratio in croplands. This study emphasizes the vital role of functional soil microorganisms in geographical variations of N2 On :N2 Od ratio and lays the foundation for the incorporation of soil AOM:denitrfier ratio into models to better predict N2 On :N2 Od ratio. Identifying soil N2 O derivation will provide a global potential benchmark for N2 O mitigation by manipulating the nitrification or denitrification.