Ammonia oxidizer refers to any organism that is able to use ammonia as their energy source. There are 3 different groups of ammonia oxidizers: ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) ammonia oxidizing archae (AOA) or complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox). My research focused on Ammonia oxidizing bacteria from various aquatic sources. Ammonia oxidizers play a critical role in the environment and in wastewater treatment, breaking down excess ammonia which can be toxic.
Heavy metals are toxic to many organisms. In bacteria, they can damage DNA, Interfere with enzymes, and generate reactive oxygen species. Previous experiments in the lab have shown AOB are particularly sensitive to nickel in comparison to other heavy metals.
In nature, microorganism live in complex communities together. AOB often live alongside heterotrophic bacteria, and they often synergize with each other. For this experiment we wanted to see how AOB grew both In the presence and absence of heterotrophs when exposed to Nickel.