Author:
Bohlool B. Ben,Wiebe William J.
Abstract
Nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) associated with various communities in the intertidal sand and mud flat was measured in situ. Areas which were colonized by algae, plants, and animals generally had significantly higher activities than areas which were visibly uncolonized. The highest activities were measured at sites colonized by a mixed bloom of Oscillatoria–Euglena–photosynthetic bacteria. These areas occupied only about 1% of the surface of the sediments, yet contributed nearly 50% of the biologically fixed nitrogen. Enteromorpha communities also exhibited relatively high activities. Sites were grouped according to the statistical significance of the mean of their activities: group I: uncolonized sand, mud and gravel flats, Eelgrass (Zostera) communities, and snail (Amphibola) beds, with an estimated contribution of 1 g N ha−1 day−1; group II: Cockel (Chione) beds, 3g N ha−1 day−1; group III: Salicornia, Ulva, Juncus, and Enteromorpha, 10 g N ha−1 day−1; and group IV: Oscillatoria–Euglena–photosynthetic bacteria association, 200 g N ha−1 day−1. Enteromorpha and Oscillatoria–Euglena–photosynthetic bacteria communities showed significantly lower rates of nitrogen fixation in the dark than in the light.
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Subject
Genetics,Molecular Biology,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology,General Medicine,Immunology,Microbiology
Cited by
32 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献