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Science 26 March 1976:
Vol. 191. no. 4233, pp. 1278 - 1280
DOI: 10.1126/science.1257749
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Articles

Science, Vol 191, Issue 4233, 1278-1280
Copyright © 1976 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Marine oscillatoria (Trichodesmium): explanation for aerobic nitrogen fixation without heterocysts

EJ Carpenter and CC Price

Nitrogen fixation in marine Oscillatoria appears to be associated with differentiated cells located in the center of the colony. These central cells exhibit reduced pigmentation relative to peripherally located cells and do not incorporate 14CO2 in photosynthesis. Central cells apparently do not produce O2 which would deactivate nitrogenase. When central cells are exposed to O2 via disruption of the colonies, N2 fixation (acetylene reduction) decreases sharply even though individual trichomes remain intact. Disruption of colonies in the absence of O2 does not cause reduced nitrogenase activity. In the sea, turbulence from wave action apparently separates trichomes allowing O2 to enter thus decreasing nitrogenase activity. These observations explain how Oscillatoria is able to fix N2 without heterocysts in an aerobic environment and why it blooms virtually always occur in calm seas.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Fixation and fate of C and N in the cyanobacterium Trichodesmium using nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry.
J. A. Finzi-Hart, J. Pett-Ridge, P. K. Weber, R. Popa, S. J. Fallon, T. Gunderson, I. D. Hutcheon, K. H. Nealson, and D. G. Capone (2009)
PNAS 106, 6345-6350
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Transatlantic abundance of the N2-fixing colonial cyanobacterium Trichodesmium..
C. S. Davis and D. J. McGillicuddy Jr. (2006)
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From the Cover: In situ analysis of nitrogen fixation and metabolic switching in unicellular thermophilic cyanobacteria inhabiting hot spring microbial mats.
A.-S. Steunou, D. Bhaya, M. M. Bateson, M. C. Melendrez, D. M. Ward, E. Brecht, J. W. Peters, M. Kühl, and A. R. Grossman (2006)
PNAS 103, 2398-2403
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The conundrum of marine N2 fixation.
C. Mahaffey, A. F. Michaels, and D. G. Capone (2005)
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Diurnal expression of hetR and diazocyte development in the filamentous non-heterocystous cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum.
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Diversity of Diazotrophic Unicellular Cyanobacteria in the Tropical North Atlantic Ocean.
L. I. Falcon, F. Cipriano, A. Y. Chistoserdov, and E. J. Carpenter (2002)
Appl. Envir. Microbiol. 68, 5760-5764
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Segregation of Nitrogen Fixation and Oxygenic Photosynthesis in the Marine Cyanobacterium Trichodesmium.
I. Berman-Frank, P. Lundgren, Y.-B. Chen, H. Kupper, Z. Kolber, B. Bergman, and P. Falkowski (2001)
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   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Whole-Cell Immunolocalization of Nitrogenase in Marine Diazotrophic Cyanobacteria, Trichodesmium spp..
S. Lin, S. Henze, P. Lundgren, B. Bergman, and E. J. Carpenter (1998)
Appl. Envir. Microbiol. 64, 3052-3058
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Myoglobin in a Cyanobacterium.
M. Potts, S. V. Angeloni, R. E. Ebel, and D. Bassam (1992)
Science 256, 1690-1692
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Direct Measurement of O2-Depleted Microzones in Marine Oscillatoria: Relation to N2 Fixation.
H. W. PAERL and B. M. BEBOUT (1988)
Science 241, 442-445
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Nitrogen Fixation by Floating Diatom Mats: A Source of New Nitrogen to Oligotrophic Ocean Waters.
L. Martinez, L. MARTINEZ, M. W. SILVER, J. M. KING, and A. L. ALLDREDGE (1983)
Science 221, 152-154
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Nitrogen Fixation in the Marine Environment.
D. G. Capone, D. G. CAPONE, and E. J. CARPENTER (1982)
Science 217, 1140-1142
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