{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T07:15:48Z","timestamp":1788419748093,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788393600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Arid inland rivers are important components of the land\u2013water\u2013ocean continuum, yet the linkages among sediment texture, microbial-mediated processes, and greenhouse gas (GHG) production remain poorly understood in sandy systems. Here, we investigated surface (0\u20135\u202fcm) and subsurface (5\u201310\u202fcm) sediments from the Niya River Basin, a desert\u2013oasis agricultural river in northwestern China, by integrating sediment particle-size characterization, physicochemical measurements, extracellular enzyme assays, GHG production experiments, and multivariate analyses. We examined how sediment texture and carbon\u2013nitrogen substrate availability regulate enzyme activities and CO\u2082, CH\u2084, and N\u2082O production potentials. Sediments were dominated by sand (&amp;gt;78%) but exhibited pronounced spatial heterogeneity in enzyme activities and GHG production. Localized hotspots of enzyme activities and CH\u2084\/N\u2082O production were associated with enriched TOC, TN, and NH\u2084\n                    <jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup>\n                    . Multivariate analyses revealed depth-dependent environmental associations: surface processes were primarily linked to TOC and pH, whereas very coarse sand showed increased relative importance in subsurface sediments, particularly for GHG production. These findings demonstrate that sandy sediments in arid inland rivers are not inert environments; rather, carbon\u2013nitrogen substrate availability and particle-size heterogeneity jointly shape microbial enzyme-mediated transformation processes and spatially variable GHG production potentials.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1912116","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T06:41:05Z","timestamp":1788417665000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Microbial enzyme-driven carbon-nitrogen cycling processes of greenhouse gases in sandy sediments of river-oasis systems in arid regions"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Guoqing","family":"Lv","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Geography Science and Tourism, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Junjian","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Soil Pollution Control and Safety, MEE Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology","place":["Shenzhen, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lijun","family":"Hou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University","place":["Shanghai, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xigang","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Geography Science and Tourism, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]},{"name":"Xinjiang Laboratory of Lake Environment and Resources in Arid Zone, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mao","family":"Ye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Geography Science and Tourism, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]},{"name":"Xinjiang Laboratory of Lake Environment and Resources in Arid Zone, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaoshuang","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Geography Science and Tourism, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]},{"name":"Xinjiang Laboratory of Lake Environment and Resources in Arid Zone, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yaqi","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Geography Science and Tourism, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]},{"name":"Xinjiang Laboratory of Lake Environment and Resources in Arid Zone, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zongxiao","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Geography Science and Tourism, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]},{"name":"Xinjiang Laboratory of Lake Environment and Resources in Arid Zone, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]},{"name":"Technical Research Center for Environmental Geotechnical Engineering Restoration and Resource Utilization, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yonghui","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Geography Science and Tourism, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]},{"name":"Xinjiang Laboratory of Lake Environment and Resources in Arid Zone, Xinjiang Normal University","place":["Urumqi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"105491","DOI":"10.1016\/j.still.2022.105491","article-title":"Nitrogen transformation genes and ammonia emission from soil under biochar and urease inhibitor application","volume":"223","author":"Abdo","year":"2022","journal-title":"Soil Tillage Res."},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"295","DOI":"10.1007\/s11270-021-05211-2","article-title":"Enzyme activities as indicators of soil quality: response to intensive soybean and rice crops","volume":"232","author":"Attademo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Water Air Soil Pollut."},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2081","DOI":"10.1038\/s41396-021-00906-0","article-title":"Soil microbial diversity\u2013biomass relationships are driven by soil carbon content across global biomes","volume":"15","author":"Bastida","year":"2021","journal-title":"ISME J."},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104169","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apsoil.2021.104169","article-title":"Organic substrate availability and enzyme activity affect microbial-controlled carbon dynamics in areas disturbed by a mining dam failure","volume":"169","author":"Batista","year":"2022","journal-title":"Appl. Soil Ecol."},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"864895","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2022.864895","article-title":"Characterizing natural organic matter transformations by microbial communities in terrestrial subsurface ecosystems: a critical review of analytical techniques and challenges","volume":"13","author":"Cabugao","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"115628","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geoderma.2021.115628","article-title":"Temperature and moisture alter organic matter composition across soil fractions","volume":"409","author":"Cates","year":"2022","journal-title":"Geoderma"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"290","DOI":"10.4236\/as.2022.132020","article-title":"Greenhouse gas emission from inland open water bodies and their estimation process\u2014an emerging issue in the era of climate change","volume":"13","author":"Chanu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Agric. Sci."},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"109739","DOI":"10.1016\/j.catena.2025.109739","article-title":"Sediment aggregate structure regulates nutrient cycling and plant\u2013microbe interactions in the water\u2013plant\u2013sediment system","volume":"263","author":"Chao","year":"2026","journal-title":"Catena"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"120962","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jenvman.2024.120962","article-title":"Microbial mechanisms of C\/N\/S geochemical cycling during low-water-level soil remediation in urban rivers","volume":"359","author":"Chen","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Environ. Manag."},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"110201","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soilbio.2026.110201","article-title":"Organic and inorganic carbon losses in straw amended saline and sodic soils","volume":"220","author":"Chen","year":"2026","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"470","DOI":"10.1038\/s43247-024-01635-w","article-title":"Wetland hydrological dynamics and methane emissions","volume":"5","author":"Cui","year":"2024","journal-title":"Commun. Earth Environ."},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"815","DOI":"10.1038\/s43017-023-00495-w","article-title":"Non-perennial segments in river networks","volume":"4","author":"Datry","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Earth Environ."},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"659","DOI":"10.1038\/s43017-023-00470-5","article-title":"Coupled iron cycling and organic matter transformation across redox interfaces","volume":"4","author":"Dong","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Earth Environ."},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103237","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rineng.2024.103237","article-title":"Water erosion processes: mechanisms, impact, and management strategies","volume":"24","author":"Firoozi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Results Eng."},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12001","DOI":"10.1088\/1755-1315\/690\/1\/012001","article-title":"Temporal and spatial distribution of surface soil and its implications in the Yangtze subaqueous delta","volume":"690","author":"Ge","year":"2021","journal-title":"IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci."},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"132322","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhydrol.2024.132322","article-title":"Groundwater flow and salinity dynamics in swash zones: combined effects of evaporation, waves, and geologic heterogeneity","volume":"646","author":"Geng","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Hydrol."},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1225","DOI":"10.1007\/s41748-025-00721-z","article-title":"CO\u2082, CH\u2084, and N\u2082O emissions in two major subtropical hydroelectric reservoirs in South America are linked to anthropogenic eutrophication","volume":"9","author":"Gonz\u00e1lez-Piana","year":"2025","journal-title":"Earth Syst. Environ."},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e17082","DOI":"10.1111\/gcb.17082","article-title":"Relative importance between nitrification and denitrification to N\u2082O from a global perspective","volume":"30","author":"Han","year":"2023","journal-title":"Glob. Change Biol."},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"121","DOI":"10.1007\/s10533-023-01026-x","article-title":"Controls on organic and inorganic soil carbon in poorly drained agricultural soils with subsurface drainage","volume":"163","author":"Huang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Biogeochemistry"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"675","DOI":"10.1007\/s11273-021-09851-3","article-title":"Chemical soilation as a driver of habitat diversity in dryland wetlands","volume":"30","author":"Humphries","year":"2022","journal-title":"Wetl. Ecol. Manag."},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e23135","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2023.e23135","article-title":"A review of carbon mineralization mechanism during geological CO\u2082 storage","volume":"9","author":"Kim","year":"2023","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1229","DOI":"10.1080\/10643389.2022.2128239","article-title":"Visualizing biogeochemical heterogeneity in soils and soils: a review of advanced micro-scale sampling and imaging methods","volume":"53","author":"Li","year":"2023","journal-title":"Crit. Rev. Environ. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1485","DOI":"10.1007\/s11368-022-03381-y","article-title":"Transformation of soil organic matter subjected to environmental disturbance and preservation of organic matter bound to soil minerals: a review","volume":"23","author":"Li","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Soils Sediments"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"135836","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chemosphere.2022.135836","article-title":"Impacts of microplastics addition on soil environmental properties, enzymatic activities and bacterial diversity","volume":"307","author":"Li","year":"2022","journal-title":"Chemosphere"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1210","DOI":"10.1002\/lno.70028","article-title":"Responses of microbial communities and greenhouse gas production to land use change in mangrove wetland sediments","volume":"70","author":"Lin","year":"2025","journal-title":"Limnol. Oceanogr."},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"131115","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhazmat.2023.131115","article-title":"Novel insight into arsenic enrichment in aquifer soils under different paleotemperatures from a molecular-level characterization of soilary organic matter","volume":"451","author":"Liu","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Hazard. Mater."},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"260469","DOI":"10.1007\/s42832-026-0469-5","article-title":"Longitudinal heterogeneity dominates dissolved organic matter dynamics in sediments of an arid inland river","volume":"8","author":"Lv","year":"2026","journal-title":"Soil Ecol. Lett."},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1844","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.est.5c09550","article-title":"Cascade reservoirs regulate molecular signatures and biogeochemical pathways of dissolved organic matters in the Lancang River","volume":"60","author":"Meng","year":"2026","journal-title":"Environ. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e2022GB007601","DOI":"10.1029\/2022GB007601","article-title":"Assessing methane emissions from tropical wetlands: uncertainties from natural variability and drivers at the global scale","volume":"37","author":"Murguia-Flores","year":"2023","journal-title":"Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"115770","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jenvman.2022.115770","article-title":"The soil pH and heavy metals revealed their impact on soil microbial community","volume":"321","author":"Naz","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Environ. Manag."},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"126","DOI":"10.1007\/s10661-022-10568-w","article-title":"The spatial distribution of physicochemical parameters in coastal soils along the bay of Bengal coastal zone with statistical analysis","volume":"195","author":"Pandion","year":"2022","journal-title":"Environ. Monit. Assess."},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"122472","DOI":"10.1016\/j.watres.2024.122472","article-title":"Water periods impact the structure and metabolic potential of the nitrogen-cycling microbial communities in rivers of arid and semi-arid regions","volume":"267","author":"Pang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Water Res."},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5299","DOI":"10.3390\/rs15225299","article-title":"Influence of climate, topography, and hydrology on vegetation distribution patterns\u2014oasis in the Taklamakan Desert hinterland","volume":"15","author":"Peng","year":"2023","journal-title":"Remote Sens."},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"422","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wse.2025.09.003","article-title":"Occurrence and ecological risk of typical pesticides in a river\u2013lake system","volume":"18","author":"Qin","year":"2025","journal-title":"Water Sci. Eng."},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e00109","DOI":"10.1128\/mmbr.00109-21","article-title":"Microbial biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen in arid ecosystems","volume":"86","author":"Ramond","year":"2022","journal-title":"Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev."},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e2025JG009393","DOI":"10.1029\/2025JG009393","article-title":"Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil extracellular enzyme activities and greenhouse gas fluxes in the Yangtze River estuary wetlands","volume":"131","author":"Ren","year":"2026","journal-title":"J. Geophys. Res. Biogeosci."},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1151","DOI":"10.5194\/bg-19-1151-2022","article-title":"Quantification of potential methane emissions associated with organic matter amendments following oxic-soil inundation","volume":"19","author":"Scott","year":"2022","journal-title":"Biogeosciences"},{"key":"ref38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"754","DOI":"10.3390\/w18060754","article-title":"Seasonal dynamics of surface water\u2013groundwater interactions in the Niya River basin, Northwest China: insights from hydrochemistry and stable isotopes","volume":"18","author":"Shi","year":"2026","journal-title":"Water"},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"391","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soilbio.2009.10.014","article-title":"Phenol oxidase, peroxidase and organic matter dynamics of soil","volume":"42","author":"Sinsabaugh","year":"2010","journal-title":"Soil Biol. Biochem."},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e2023EA003498","DOI":"10.1029\/2023EA003498","article-title":"Interdependencies between wildfire-induced alterations in soil properties, near-surface processes, and geohazards","volume":"12","author":"Vahedifard","year":"2024","journal-title":"Earth Space Sci."},{"key":"ref41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"E24","DOI":"10.1017\/flo.2023.20","article-title":"Investigating cohesive soil dynamics in open waters via grain-resolved simulations","volume":"3","author":"Vowinckel","year":"2023","journal-title":"Flow."},{"key":"ref42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"134475","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biortech.2026.134475","article-title":"Nitrogen source forms govern ammonia assimilation and nitrogen retention through ammonium supply dynamics during composting","volume":"450","author":"Wang","year":"2026","journal-title":"Bioresour. Technol."},{"key":"ref43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1701","DOI":"10.1111\/nph.18307","article-title":"The functional role of ericoid mycorrhizal plants and fungi on carbon and nitrogen dynamics in forests","volume":"235","author":"Ward","year":"2022","journal-title":"New Phytol."},{"key":"ref44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"691651","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2021.691651","article-title":"Response of plant rhizosphere microenvironment to water management in soil- and substrate-based controlled environment agriculture (CEA) systems: a review","volume":"12","author":"Wu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. Plant Sci."},{"key":"ref45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"120211","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envpol.2022.120211","article-title":"Fine particle-sizes and pyrogenic carbon fractions regulate PAH partitioning and burial in a eutrophic shallow lake","volume":"314","author":"Ya","year":"2022","journal-title":"Environ. Pollut."},{"key":"ref46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1597","DOI":"10.1007\/s42729-025-02226-0","article-title":"Dynamic response of soil enzyme activities in riparian zones: insights from vegetation cover","volume":"25","author":"Yan","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Soil Sci. Plant Nutr."},{"key":"ref47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"D02105","DOI":"10.1029\/2003JD003787","article-title":"Evidence for a late Holocene warm and humid climate period and environmental characteristics in the arid zones of Northwest China during 2.2 \u223c 1.8 kyr B.P","volume":"109","author":"Yang","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Geophys. Res."},{"key":"ref48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1108025","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2023.1108025","article-title":"Microbial community and soil enzyme activities driving microbial metabolic efficiency patterns in riparian soils of the three gorges reservoir","volume":"14","author":"Yang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"381","DOI":"10.1002\/ldr.744","article-title":"Hydrological changes and land degradation in the southern and eastern Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China","volume":"17","author":"Yang","year":"2006","journal-title":"Land Degrad. Dev."},{"key":"ref50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"332","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics14040332","article-title":"Mechanism and characteristics of phosphorus release from soils in drawdown zone under inundation\/drying cycles","volume":"14","author":"Yang","year":"2026","journal-title":"Toxics"},{"key":"ref51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"659","DOI":"10.1002\/jqs.1095","article-title":"Climatic change during the last 4000 years in the southern Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, Northwest China","volume":"22","author":"Zhong","year":"2007","journal-title":"J. Quat. Sci."},{"key":"ref52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"574","DOI":"10.1038\/s43017-025-00707-5","article-title":"Nitrous oxide sources, mechanisms and mitigation","volume":"6","author":"Zhu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Earth Environ."},{"key":"ref53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1281","DOI":"10.1007\/s10533-024-01174-8","article-title":"Environmental co-limitation on temperature responses of greenhouse gas production in floodplain soils","volume":"167","author":"Zhumabieke","year":"2024","journal-title":"Biogeochemistry"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Microbiology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1912116\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T06:41:06Z","timestamp":1788417666000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1912116\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]]},"references-count":53,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1912116"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fmicb.2026.1912116","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-302X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-302X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]]},"article-number":"1912116"}}