Unicellular cyanobacteria fix N2 in the subtropical North Pacific Ocean

Jonathan P. Zehr (), John B. Waterbury, Patricia J. Turner, Joseph P. Montoya, Enoma Omoregie, Grieg F. Steward, Andrew Hansen and David M. Karl
Additional contact information
Jonathan P. Zehr: University of California
John B. Waterbury: Woods Hole Oceanographic Insitute
Patricia J. Turner: University of California
Joseph P. Montoya: School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology
Enoma Omoregie: University of California
Grieg F. Steward: University of California
Andrew Hansen: School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii
David M. Karl: School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii

Nature, 2001, vol. 412, issue 6847, 635-638

Abstract: Abstract Fixed nitrogen (N) often limits the growth of organisms in terrestrial and aquatic biomes1,2, and N availability has been important in controlling the CO2 balance of modern and ancient oceans3,4. The fixation of atmospheric dinitrogen gas (N2) to ammonia is catalysed by nitrogenase and provides a fixed N for N-limited environments2,5. The filamentous cyanobacterium Trichodesmium has been assumed to be the predominant oceanic N2-fixing microorganism since the discovery of N2 fixation in Trichodesmium in 1961 (ref. 6). Attention has recently focused on oceanic N2 fixation because nitrogen availability is generally limiting in many oceans, and attempts to constrain the global atmosphere–ocean fluxes of CO2 are based on basin-scale N balances7,8,9. Biogeochemical studies and models have suggested that total N2-fixation rates may be substantially greater than previously believed7,8 but cannot be reconciled with observed Trichodesmium abundances8,9. It is curious that there are so few known N2-fixing microorganisms in oligotrophic oceans when it is clearly ecologically advantageous. Here we show that there are unicellular cyanobacteria in the open ocean that are expressing nitrogenase, and are abundant enough to potentially have a significant role in N dynamics.

Date: 2001
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/35088063 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:412:y:2001:i:6847:d:10.1038_35088063

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/35088063

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().