Collaborative Research: Using Biogeochemical and Genetic Tools to Unravel the Environmental Controls of Nitrogen Fixation and Denitrification in Heterotrophic Marine Sediments

“该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公法111-5)资助的。”虽然沉积物-水界面的各种氮素交换途径对我们理解生态系统功能至关重要，但现有的氮素预算低估了在公海和海洋沉积物中发生的固氮量。最近关于固氮和反硝化作用在沿海系统中的作用的研究结果表明，固氮可能发挥比以前认为的更重要的作用。为了解决这个问题，来自海洋生物实验室、波士顿大学和罗德岛大学的海洋化学家正在研究固氮的作用和沿海陆架沉积物中氮气通量的环境控制。利用现场采样和实验室分析的混合方法，这些科学家将确定负责固氮的生物，并追踪固定在海洋沉积物中的氮的去向。这项研究的结果将加强对控制海洋生态系统和整个海洋氮平衡的环境因素的了解。除了这项研究提供了对海洋氮循环的更多了解外，它还将为罗德岛女童子军提供外展和教育机会，并为多名研究生提供支持。

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."Although the various pathways of nitrogen exchange at the sediment-water interface are critical to our understanding of ecosystem functions, existing nitrogen budgets underestimate the amount of nitrogen fixation taking place in the open ocean and marine sediments. Recent findings regarding the role of nitrogen fixation and denitrification in coastal systems suggest that nitrogen fixation may play a more significant role than previously believed. To address this, marine chemists from the Marine Biological Laboratory, Boston University, and the University of Rhode Island are examining the role of nitrogen fixation and the environmental controls of the N2 flux in coastal shelf sediments. Using a mixture of field sampling and laboratory analyses, these scientists will identify the organisms responsible for nitrogen fixation and trace the fate of nitrogen fixed in marine sediments. The results from this research will enhance the understanding of the environmental factors that control the nitrogen balance of marine ecosystems and the oceans as a whole. In addition to this research providing a greater understanding of the marine nitrogen cycle, it will provide outreach and education opportunities for the Girls Scouts of Rhode Island, as well as, support for multiple graduate students.