[1] In 2015 the presence of microorganisms that could carry out both conversion processes was discovered within the genus Nitrospira, and the nitrogen cycle was updated.
[5] This shows that complete nitrifying Nitrospira serve as cornerstones of the nitrogen-cycling microbial communities found in the environment.
Nearly two years after the discovery of comammox organisms, Nitrospira inopinata was the first complete nitrifier to be isolated in pure culture.
[7][6] The discovery of comammox Nitrospira provides a view into the modular evolution of the nitrogen cycle and expands upon the complexity of the evolutionary history of nitrification.
[3][6][8][9] The ecosystem of comammox is currently unknown in terms of biogeography, including their distribution and abundance, due to the influences of process configuration and chemical composition of the treated wastewater.