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Nitrogen fixation in the temperate estuarine intertidal sediments of the River Lune
Author(s) -
Jones Keith
Publication year - 1982
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.1982.27.3.0455
Subject(s) - nitrogen fixation , estuary , salinity , azotobacter chroococcum , intertidal zone , temperate climate , environmental chemistry , nitrogenase , diazotroph , environmental science , nitrogen , botany , biology , bacteria , ecology , chemistry , genetics , organic chemistry
In situ measurements of acetylene reduction in undisturbed temperate intertidal estuarine sediments show that activity occurs from late spring to early autumn and amounts to an annual rate of 1.4 kg of N fixed per hectare. The low rates are caused by the combination of low temperatures, high salinities, and a shortage of carbon substrates for heterotrophic nitrogen‐fixing bacteria. The main contributing organisms are the sulfate‐reducers and salinity‐tolerant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Other nitrogen‐fixing bacteria (photosynthetic bacteria, salinity‐tolerant strains of Azotobacter chroococcum, and cyanobacteria) are present only in low numbers or are unable to fix nitrogen at the salinities found in the sediments.