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Science 8 July 1983:
Vol. 221. no. 4606, pp. 152 - 154
DOI: 10.1126/science.221.4606.152
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Articles

Nitrogen Fixation by Floating Diatom Mats: A Source of New Nitrogen to Oligotrophic Ocean Waters

LEEANNE MARTÍNEZ 1, MARY W. SILVER 1, JAMES M. KING 2, and ALICE L. ALLDREDGE 2

1 Center for Coastal Marine Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz 95064
2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106

Nitrogen fixation, apparently by bacterial endosymbionts, is associated with intertwining chains of two species of the diatom Rhizosolenia. In situ fixation rates were enhanced by incubation in the dark, whereas concurrent shipboard experiments either underestimated or did not detect nitrogen fixation. This is the first example of nitrogen fixation associated with a bacteria-diatom symbiosis in the pelagic zone, and it indicates that these systems may contribute a significant amount of "new" nitrogen to oligotrophic waters.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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Vertical Nitrate Fluxes in the Oligotrophic Ocean.
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A review of fine-grained sediment origins, characteristics, transport and deposition.
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