Characterization of biogeochemical nitrogen cycling and nutrient dynamics at land–water interfaces in wetland ecosystems

Main Article Content

Muniganti Radha Krishna
Satya Mohan Chowdary G
Dr. Sridevi Sangeetha K.S
Saravanan A
Damanjeet Aulakh
Avinash Somatkar
Vivek Kumar
Valli Nachiyar

Abstract

Wetlands are essential environments for the regulation of the nitrogen cycle by the rapid conversion of different forms of nitrogen at the border of land and water. This study examines the biogeochemical processes that describe nitrogen cycling by nitrification, denitrification and ammonification processes, and also the role of wetlands in nutrient retention, water quality improvement, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation. This study examines the role of wetlands in the regulation of nitrogen, and the conversion of nitrogen by removal of excess nitrogen that can lead to eutrophication. For the study, a mixture of field sampling, hydrological monitoring, and microbial monitoring were utilized to study wetland nitrogen cycling across different hydrological and seasonal conditions. The study reveals that the nitrogen cycles change in a seasonal pattern and are driven by hydrological conditions including water-level, ground water flow, and tidal cycles. Sites were also monitored and sampled for nitrate and those that had higher nitrates were considered at risk for eutrophication. Some of the statistical analyses emphasized the role of microbes on the control of nitrogen cycling and the ways in which hydrological conditions modulate microbial processes on nitrogen cycling. Ammonium concentrations were measured at 0.45 mg N/L while the corresponding standard deviation was 0.15. For nitrate, the measured average was 1.15 mg N/L and had a higher standard deviation (0.30) meaning the nitrate was higher in its fluctuating external conditions. The study identifies the interactions between hydrological conditions, microbial growth, and nitrogen cycling in wetlands describing its resilience to the changed environmental conditions. The results can improve the management of wetlands, especially for restoration that aims towards the elevation of nitrogen removal and enhancement of the environmental conditions.

Article Details

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Characterization of biogeochemical nitrogen cycling and nutrient dynamics at land–water interfaces in wetland ecosystems (M. Radha Krishna, S. M. Chowdary G, S. Sangeetha K.S, S. A, D. Aulakh, A. Somatkar, Vivek Kumar, & V. Nachiyar, Trans.). (2026). International Journal of Aquatic Research and Environmental Studies, 6(1), 418-431. https://doi.org/10.70102/k9m8p341

References

Cai, Y. J., Zhang, H. Y., Hu, X. R., Yang, Y. C., Hazard, C., Nicol, G. W., He, J. Z., Shen, J. P., He, Z. Y., Zhang, L., & Zhang, J. H. (2025). Millimeter-scale niche differentiation of N-cycling microorganisms across the soil-water interface has implications for N2O emissions from wetlands. *The ISME Journal, 19*(1), wraf062. [https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf062](https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wraf062)

Chen, M., Chang, L., Zhang, J., Guo, F., Vymazal, J., He, Q., & Chen, Y. (2020). Global nitrogen input on wetland ecosystem: The driving mechanism of soil labile carbon and nitrogen on greenhouse gas emissions. *Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, 4*, 100063. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2020.100063](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2020.100063)

Chen, X., Sheng, Y., Wang, G., Zhou, P., Liao, F., Mao, H., Zhang, H., Qiao, Z., & Wei, Y. (2024). Spatiotemporal successions of N, S, C, Fe, and As cycling genes in groundwater of a wetland ecosystem: Enhanced heterogeneity in wet season. *Water Research, 251*, 121105. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2024.121105](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2024.121105)

Chu, L., & Yuan, Y. (2026). Distribution and source–sink characteristics of nitrogen at the sediment–water interface during the ice-covered and ice-thawing periods in Xingkai Lake. *Ecological Processes, 15*(1), 3. [https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-025-00660-7](https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-025-00660-7)

Cui, J., Li, C., & Trettin, C. (2005). Analyzing the ecosystem carbon and hydrologic characteristics of forested wetland using a biogeochemical process model. *Global Change Biology, 11*(2), 278–289. [https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.00900.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.00900.x)

Jolly, I. D., McEwan, K. L., & Holland, K. L. (2008). A review of groundwater-surface water interactions in arid/semi-arid wetlands and the consequences of salinity for wetland ecology. *Ecohydrology, 1*(1), 43–58. [https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.6](https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.6)

Krishnan, A., Devarajan, Y., Nagappan, B., Kumar, D., & Upadhye, V. J. (2025). Inland waterways symphony: Understanding transformation mechanisms of carbon and nitrogen emissions. *Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 197*(8), 885. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-025-14349-z](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-025-14349-z)

Li, B., Li, Z., Zheng, J., Jiang, P., Holmquist, J., Regier, P. J., Hammond, G. E., Ward, N. D., Myers‐Pigg, A., Rich, R., & Huang, W. (2024). Integrated effects of site hydrology and vegetation on exchange fluxes and nutrient cycling at a coastal terrestrial‐aquatic interface. *Water Resources Research, 60*(6), e2023WR035580. [https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR035580](https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR035580)

Li, N., Zhou, J., Zhang, C., Tang, Y., Wu, M., Shao, X., Cao, P., Zhang, Y., & Zhang, L. (2026). Hydrological restoration reshapes nitrogen cycling in alpine wetlands: Contrasting denitrification and anammox responses to rewetting. *Ecological Engineering, 223*, 107845. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107845](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107845)

Liu, Q., & Mou, X. (2016). Interactions between surface water and groundwater: Key processes in ecological restoration of degraded coastal wetlands caused by reclamation. *Wetlands, 36*(Suppl. 1), 95–102. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-014-0582-6](https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-014-0582-6)

Marion, A., Nikora, V., Puijalon, S., Bouma, T., Koll, K., Ballio, F., Tait, S., Zaramella, M., Sukhodolov, A., O'Hare, M., & Wharton, G. (2014). Aquatic interfaces: A hydrodynamic and ecological perspective. *Journal of Hydraulic Research, 52*(6), 744–758. [https://doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2014.968887](https://doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2014.968887)

Rahman, A., Gu, S., & Li, Q. (2025). Characteristics of Si biogeochemical cycle in freshwater riparian wetlands: A comprehensive review. *Current Pollution Reports, 11*(1), 20. [https://doi.org/10.1007/s40726-025-00348-8](https://doi.org/10.1007/s40726-025-00348-8)

Van der Peijl, M. J., & Verhoeven, J. T. A. (2000). Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in river-marginal wetlands: A model examination of landscape geochemical flows. *Biogeochemistry, 50*(1), 45–71. [https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006360315792](https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006360315792)

Volik, O., Petrone, R., & Price, J. (2023). Wetlands as integral parts of surface water–groundwater interactions in the Athabasca Oil Sands Area: Review and synthesis. *Environmental Reviews, 32*(2), 145–172. [https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2023-0064](https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2023-0064)

Wang, F., Xiao, K., Santos, I. R., Lu, Z., Tamborski, J., Wang, Y., Yan, R., & Chen, N. (2022). Porewater exchange drives nutrient cycling and export in a mangrove-salt marsh ecotone. *Journal of Hydrology, 606*, 127401. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.127401](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.127401)

White, J. R., & Reddy, K. R. (2009). Biogeochemical dynamics I: Nitrogen cycling in wetlands. In *The Wetlands Handbook* (Vol. 2, pp. 213–227). [https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444315813.ch9](https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444315813.ch9)

Wu, Y., Xu, L., Wang, Z., Cheng, J., Lu, J., You, H., & Zhang, X. (2022). Microbially mediated Fe-N coupled cycling at different hydrological regimes in riparian wetland. *Science of the Total Environment, 851*, 158237. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158237](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158237)

Yi, X., Lin, Y., Peng, Y., Liu, Y., Ning, C., Lei, J., Wang, L., Chen, C., Wu, L., & Liao, J. (2026). Urbanization-induced shifts in microbial functional genes of wetland nitrogen cycling promote nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. *Microorganisms, 14*(3), 640. [https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14030640](https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14030640)

Yousaf, A., Khalid, N., Aqeel, M., Noman, A., Naeem, N., Sarfraz, W., Ejaz, U., Qaiser, Z., & Khalid, A. (2021). Nitrogen dynamics in wetland systems and its impact on biodiversity. *Nitrogen, 2*(2), 196–217. [https://doi.org/10.3390/nitrogen2020013](https://doi.org/10.3390/nitrogen2020013)

Zhang, X., Ward, B. B., & Sigman, D. M. (2020). Global nitrogen cycle: Critical enzymes, organisms, and processes for nitrogen budgets and dynamics. *Chemical Reviews, 120*(12), 5308–5351. [https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00613](https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00613)