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Science 23 May 1997:
Vol. 276. no. 5316, pp. 1221 - 1229
DOI: 10.1126/science.276.5316.1221
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Articles

Trichodesmium, a Globally Significant Marine Cyanobacterium

Douglas G. Capone, Jonathan P. Zehr, Hans W. Paerl, Birgitta Bergman, Edward J. Carpenter

Planktonic marine cyanobacteria of the genus Trichodesmium occur throughout the oligotrophic tropical and subtropical oceans. Their unusual adaptations, from the molecular to the macroscopic level, contribute to their ecological success and biogeochemical importance. Trichodesmium fixes nitrogen gas (N2) under fully aerobic conditions while photosynthetically evolving oxygen. Its temporal pattern of N2 fixation results from an endogenous daily cycle that confines N2 fixation to daylight hours. Trichodesmium colonies provide a unique pelagic habitat that supports a complex assemblage of consortial organisms. These colonies often represent a large fraction of the plant biomass in tropical, oligotrophic waters and contribute substantially to primary production. N2 fixation by Trichodesmium is likely a major input to the marine and global nitrogen cycle.

D. G. Capone is at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Center for Environmental and Estuarine Studies, University of Maryland, Solomons, MD 20688, USA. J. P. Zehr is in the Department of Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA. H. W. Paerl is at the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina, Morehead City, NC 28557, USA. B. Bergman is in the Department of Botany, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden. E. J. Carpenter is at the Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.

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