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Toward resolving disparate accounts of the extent and magnitude of nitrogen fixation in the Eastern Tropical South Pacific oxygen deficient zone
Author(s) -
Selden Corday R.,
Mulholland Margaret R.,
Widner Brittany,
Bernhardt Peter,
Jayakumar Amal
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.1002/lno.11735
Subject(s) - fixation (population genetics) , nitrogen fixation , diazotroph , tracer , nitrogen , δ15n , environmental science , tropics , oxygen , oceanography , δ13c , geology , stable isotope ratio , chemistry , biology , ecology , physics , biochemistry , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , nuclear physics , gene
Examination of dinitrogen (N 2 ) fixation in the Eastern Tropical South Pacific oxygen deficient zone has raised questions about the range of diazotrophs in the deep sea and their quantitative importance as a source of new nitrogen globally. However, technical considerations in the deployment of stable isotopes in quantifying N 2 fixation rates have complicated interpretation of this research. Here, we report the findings of a comprehensive survey of N 2 fixation within, above and below the Eastern Tropical South Pacific oxygen deficient zone. N 2 fixation rates were measured using a robust 15 N tracer method (bubble removal) that accounts for the slow dissolution of N 2 gas and calculated using a conservative approach. N 2 fixation was only detected in a subset of samples (8 of 125 replicated measurements) collected within suboxic waters (< 20 μ mol O 2 kg −1 ) or at the oxycline. Most of these detectable rates were measured at nearshore stations, or where surface productivity was high. These findings support the hypothesis that low oxygen/high organic carbon conditions favor non‐cyanobacterial diazotrophs. Nevertheless, this study indicates that N 2 fixation is neither widespread nor quantitatively important throughout this region.