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NITROGEN FIXATION BY EPIPHYTES ON SEA GRASSES 1
Author(s) -
GOERING J. J.,
PARKER P. L.
Publication year - 1972
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 - 10.4319/lo.1972.17.2.0320
Subject(s) - epiphyte , thalassia testudinum , seagrass , nitrogen fixation , bay , botany , nitrogen , biology , ecology , environmental science , oceanography , chemistry , ecosystem , geology , organic chemistry
Four species of sea grasses in Redfish Bay, Texas, Thalassia testudinum, Cymodocea manatorum, Diplanthera wrightii, and Ruppia maritima, showed nitrogen‐fixing activity as measured by the acetylene reduction technique. Evidence that epiphytes and not the macrophytes are responsible for the observed fixation is presented that leads to the suggestion that nitrogen‐fixing epiphytes play an important role in the nitrogen economy of sea‐grass communities.