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A NEW NITROGEN‐FIXING CYANOPHYTE‐HEPATIC ASSOCIATION: NOSTOC AND PORELLA
Author(s) -
Dalton David A.,
Chatfield J. Mark
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1985.tb08339.x
Subject(s) - biology , nostoc , cyanobacteria , epiphyte , heterocyst , botany , nitrogen fixation , bacteria , anabaena , genetics
Porella navicularis , a common leafy liverwort in western North America, was found to possess numerous epiphytic Nostoc colonies. Although the abundance of colonies was variable, the association was found consistently throughout a broad geographic range. Unlike cyanobacteria in other hepatic assocations, the Nostoc occurred as distinct colonies harbored in crevices and curled margins of leaves. Heterocyst frequency was 3–7%. Acetylene reduction activity was present in 85% of samples examined, with an average value of 53.5 nmol C 2 H 4 ∙g dry wt ‐1 ∙hr ‐1 and a maximum of 316 nmol C 2 H 4 ∙g dry wt ‐1 ∙hr ‐1 . This suggests that bryophyte nitrogen‐fixing associations may be more important than previously realized.