Department of Environmental Science (ENVS) at Aarhus University is heading the amoA project. ENVS is part of the Danish Center for Energy and Environment (DCE) with massive contract on advisory work for Ministry of Environment among others. We are driven to understand potentials to keep the Danish environment clean and safe to live in. AU-ENVS and DCE is committed to bring first class environmental research into use for society.

In the amoA project we strive to clarify if chemical nitrogen inhibitors hamper important soil ecosystem functions and decrease soil biodiversity. To investigate this, we conduct a sensitive TotalRNA metatranscriptomic analysis. RNA is present in all living organisms but, unlike DNA that can stay in the soil even after the organisms are dead, it does not persist. Thus, by analysing rRNA we can provide an acurate picture of the biodiversity of living microorganisms in the soil - compared to DNA based analysis. Further, mRNA provides information about gene expression i.e., the functions carried out by the soil microorganisms, which can be linked to soil ecosystem functions.

Finally, AU-ENVS will facilitate that the data and knowledge gained in the amoA project are collected and communicated, including environmental fate and effects, in order to provide a final impact evaluation of nitrogen inhibitors.