Microbial Nitrogen Transformation Potential in Sediments of Two Contrasting Lakes Is Spatially Structured but Seasonally Stable

through microbial denitrification or anammox. The rates and distributions of these microbial processes are affected by factors such as the amount and quality of settling organic material and nitrate concentrations. However, the microbial communities mediating these N transformation processes in freshwater lake sediments remain largely unknown. We provide the first seasonally and spatially resolved metagenomic analysis of the N cycle in sediments of two lakes with different trophic states. We show that lakes with different trophic states select for distinct communities of N-cycling microorganisms with contrasting functional potentials for N transformation.