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GAS VACUOLE COLLAPSE IN MARINE OSCILLATORIA (TRICHODESMIUM) THIEBAUTII (CYANOPHYTA) AND THE EFFECT ON NITROGENASE ACTIVITY AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS 1
Author(s) -
Carpenter Edward J.,
Walsby A. E.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1111/j.1529-8817.1979.tb02988.x
Subject(s) - nitrogenase , photosynthesis , oscillatoria , biology , cyanobacteria , diazotroph , trichodesmium , vesicle , botany , biophysics , bacteria , nitrogen fixation , biochemistry , membrane , genetics
Photosynthesis and nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction) in Oscillatoria (Trichodesmium) thiebautii were significantly reduced after its gas vesicles were collapsed by pressurizing to 6·2 MPa (62 bars). The reduction in nitrogenase activity was observed with both intact and disrupted colonies, and under both aerobic and microaerobic conditions. It is unlikely, therefore, that the reduction in either process results solely from loss of gas diffusion pathways, and may simply originate from disturbance of the cellular architecture as gas vesicles are destroyed. Since nitrogenase activity of the samples was affected by gas vesicle collapse, the process presumably resides in the gas vacuolate organism (Oscillatoria) rather than in any associated bacteria which might be present.