# Water periods impact the structure and metabolic potential of the nitrogen-cycling microbial communities in rivers of arid and semi-arid regions

*PRI Rank #13 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/microbial-community-ecology-and-physiology/2026/rank-13*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #13 |
| 18m citations | 92 |
| Journal | Water Research |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122472 |
| Corresponding authors | Dan Wang, Longmian Wang, Wenhai Chu |
| Institution | Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, China |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/microbial-community-ecology-and-physiology/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1016/j.watres.2024.122472](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2024.122472)

## Topics

nitrogen-cycling microbial communities · water periods · Arid and semi-arid regions · river ecosystems · Microbial community composition · metabolic potential · nitrification · denitrification · anammox · nitrogen metabolism · Seasonal variation · hydrological regime · functional gene abundance · microbial diversity · nutrient cycling

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/microbial-community-ecology-and-physiology/2026. Accessed 2026-07-21.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```