In:
Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Vol. 327, No. 5972 ( 2010-03-19), p. 1512-1514
Abstract:
Nitrogen (N 2 )–fixing microorganisms (diazotrophs) are an important source of biologically available fixed N in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and control the productivity of oligotrophic ocean ecosystems. We found that two major groups of unicellular N 2 -fixing cyanobacteria (UCYN) have distinct spatial distributions that differ from those of Trichodesmium , the N 2 -fixing cyanobacterium previously considered to be the most important contributor to open-ocean N 2 fixation. The distributions and activity of the two UCYN groups were separated as a function of depth, temperature, and water column density structure along an 8000-kilometer transect in the South Pacific Ocean. UCYN group A can be found at high abundances at substantially higher latitudes and deeper in subsurface ocean waters than Trichodesmium . These findings have implications for the geographic extent and magnitude of basin-scale oceanic N 2 fixation rates.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0036-8075
,
1095-9203
DOI:
10.1126/science.1185468
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Publication Date:
2010
detail.hit.zdb_id:
128410-1
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2066996-3
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2060783-0
SSG:
11