Collaborative Research: Nitrogen Fixation as a Source of New Nitrogen in the Oligotrophic Tropical Oceans

TAYLOR固氮作为热带少营养海洋新氮的来源本项目将研究固氮蓝藻Trichodesmium在提供氮以支持热带海洋生物生产方面的重要性。氮（N2）固定细菌在世界范围内被广泛研究，特别是在农业系统中，反映了它们作为肥料氮来源的重要性。Trichodesmium是最著名的海洋固氮剂，广泛分布在热带海洋中，可以形成大量的藻华，并具有许多独特的代谢适应来固定氮。木霉的全球固氮作用可能与农业系统中的固氮作用相媲美。最近的证据表明，木霉的固氮速率被严重低估了，这可能是几个热带海洋生物群落氮收支严重失衡的原因。这项研究将提供关于木霉的生理学的基本信息，将量化其在全球碳和氮循环中的重要性，并将提供信息以更准确地评估热带海洋吸收大气二氧化碳的生物能力。

9633744 TAYLOR N2 Fixation as a Source of New N in the Oligotrophic Tropical Oceans This project will examine the importance of the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria, Trichodesmium, in providing nitrogen to support biological production in tropical oceans. Nitrogen (N2) fixing bacteria are intensively studied worldwide, particularly in agricultural systems, reflecting their importance as sources of fertilizer nitrogen. Trichodesmium, the best known marine nitrogen fixer, is widely distributed throughout the tropical oceans, can form massive blooms, and possesses a number of unique metabolic adaptations for fixing nitrogen. Global nitrogen fixation by Trichodesmium may rival that in agricultural systems. Recent evidence indicates that the rate of nitrogen fixation by Trichodesmium has been severely underestimated, and this may account for the severe imbalances in the nitrogen budgets of several tropical oceanic biomes. This research will provide fundamental information on the physiology of Trichodesmium, will quantify its importance in the global carbon and nitrogen cycles, and will yield information to more accurately assess the biological capacity of tropical oceans to take up atmospheric carbon dioxide.