Open AccessDark anaerobic nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) in the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria sp.
Author(s) -
Stal Lucas J.,
Heyer Heike
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1987.tb02360.x
Subject(s) - oscillatoria , nitrogen fixation , nitrogenase , acetylene , cyanobacteria , anaerobic exercise , nitrogen , chemistry , darkness , botany , biology , bacteria , physiology , genetics , organic chemistry
The filamentous, non‐heterocytous, nitrogen‐fixing cyanobacterium Oscillatoria sp. strain 23 (Oldenburg) showed cycling of acetylene reduction in light‐dark cycles. Under aerobic conditions nitrogenase activity is exclusively present during the dark period. However, if anaerobic conditions were applied during the dark period, two activity maxima were observed. A relatively small activity peak occurred during the first few hours of the dark period and a high peak as soon as the light was switched on. A low activity remained during the second half of the dark period. This pattern of acetylene reduction in Oscillatoria agrees well with the field data on nitrogen fixation [Stal, L.J. and Krumbein, W.E. (1984), Mar. Biol. 82, 217–224].