Nitrogen fixation in sediments and the rhizosphere of the seagrassZostera capricorni

Microbial Ecology - Tập 22 - Trang 53-64 - 1991
M. J. O'Donohue1, D. J. W. Moriarty2, I. C. Mac Rae1
1Department of Microbiology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
2CSIRO Marine Laboratories, Cleveland, Australia

Tóm tắt

Rates of nitrogen fixation in seagrass beds (Zostera capricorni) were determined with15N and reduction of acetylene in intact cores of sediment and seagrass. There was good agreement in the results from the two techniques, with a molar ratio of 3∶1.9 ethylene: ammonia produced. Fixed nitrogen was rapidly utilized by the plants, with significant amounts of15N found in the roots and rhizomes and 50% of fixed15N apparently translocated to the leaves. Rates of fixation were high in summer (25 to 40 mg N m−2 day−1) and lower in winter (10 mg N m−2 day−1) and were estimated to supply between one-third and one-half of the nitrogen requirements of the seagrass. Rates of nitrogen fixation were greater in the light than in the dark, and in cores of intact seagrass than in defoliated cores, indicating that the bacteria were dependent on organic compounds secreted by the plants.

Tài liệu tham khảo

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