| 1. |
- Adam, Birgit, et al.
(author)
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N2-fixation, ammonium release and N-transfer to the microbial and classical food web within a plankton community
- 2016
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In: The ISME Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1751-7362 .- 1751-7370. ; 10:2, s. 450-459
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We investigated the role of N2-fixation by the colony-forming cyanobacterium, Aphanizomenon spp., for the plankton community and N-budget of the N-limited Baltic Sea during summer by using stable isotope tracers combined with novel secondary ion mass spectrometry, conventional mass spectrometry and nutrient analysis. When incubated with 15N2, Aphanizomenon spp. showed a strong 15N-enrichment implying substantial 15N2-fixation. Intriguingly, Aphanizomenon did not assimilate tracers of 15NH4+ from the surrounding water. These findings are in line with model calculations that confirmed a negligible N-source by diffusion-limited NH4+ fluxes to Aphanizomenon colonies at low bulk concentrations (<250 nm) as compared with N2-fixation within colonies. No N2-fixation was detected in autotrophic microorganisms <5 mum, which relied on NH4+ uptake from the surrounding water. Aphanizomenon released about 50% of its newly fixed N2 as NH4+. However, NH4+ did not accumulate in the water but was transferred to heterotrophic and autotrophic microorganisms as well as to diatoms (Chaetoceros sp.) and copepods with a turnover time of ~5 h. We provide direct quantitative evidence that colony-forming Aphanizomenon releases about half of its recently fixed N2 as NH4+, which is transferred to the prokaryotic and eukaryotic plankton forming the basis of the food web in the plankton community. Transfer of newly fixed nitrogen to diatoms and copepods furthermore implies a fast export to shallow sediments via fast-sinking fecal pellets and aggregates. Hence, N2-fixing colony-forming cyanobacteria can have profound impact on ecosystem productivity and biogeochemical processes at shorter time scales (hours to days) than previously thought.
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| 2. |
- Klawonn, Isabell, et al.
(author)
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Simple approach for the preparation of N-15-15(2)-enriched water for nitrogen fixation assessments: evaluation, application and recommendations
- 2015
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In: Frontiers in Microbiology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-302X. ; 6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent findings revealed that the commonly used N-15(2) tracer assay for the determination of dinitrogen (N-2) fixation can underestimate the activity of aquatic N-2-fixing organisms. Therefore, a modification to the method using pre-prepared N-15-15(2)-enriched water was proposed. Here, we present a rigorous assessment and outline a simple procedure for the preparation of N-15-15(2)-enriched water. We recommend to fill sterile-filtered water into serum bottles and to add N-15-15(2) gas to the water in amounts exceeding the standard N-2 solubility, followed by vigorous agitation (vortex mixing >= 5 min). Optionally, water can be degassed at low-pressure (>= 950 mbar) for 10 mm prior to the N-15-15(2) gas addition to indirectly enhance the N-15-15(2) concentration. This preparation of N-15-15(2)-enriched water can be done within 1 h using standard laboratory equipment. The final N-15-atom% excess was 5% after replacing 2-5% of the incubation volume with N-15-15(2)-enriched water. Notably, the addition of N-15-15(2)-enriched water can alter levels of trace elements in the incubation water due to the contact of N-15-15(2)-enriched water with glass, plastic and rubber ware. In our tests, levels of trace elements (Fe, P, Mn, Mo, Cu, Zn) increased by up to 0.1 nmol L-1 in the final incubation volume, which may bias rate measurements in regions where N-2 fixation is limited by trace elements. For these regions, we tested an alternative way to enrich water with N-15-15(2). The N-15-15(2) was injected as a bubble directly to the incubation water, followed by gentle shaking. Immediately thereafter, the bubble was replaced with water to stop the N-15-15(2) equilibration. This approach achieved a N-15-atom% excess of 6.6 +/- 1.7% when adding 2 mL N-15-15(2) per liter of incubation water. The herein presented methodological tests offer guidelines for the N-15(2) tracer assay and thus, are crucial to circumvent methodological draw-backs for future N-2 fixation assessments.
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| 3. |
- Schmid, M. C., et al.
(author)
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Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria in marine environments: widespread occurrence but low diversity
- 2007
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In: Environmental Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 1462-2912 .- 1462-2920. ; 9:6, s. 1476-1484
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Laboratory and field studies have indicated that anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is an important process in the marine nitrogen cycle. In this study 11 additional anoxic marine sediment and water column samples were studied to substantiate this claim. In a combined approach using the molecular methods, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), qualitative and quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), as well as N-15 stable isotope activity measurements, it was shown that anammox bacteria were present and active in all samples investigated. The anammox activity measured in the sediment samples ranged from 0.08 fmol cell(-1) day(-1) N-2 in the Golfo Dulce (Pacific Ocean, Costa Rica) sediment to 0.98 fmol cell(-1) day(-1) N-2 in the Gullmarsfjorden (North Sea, Sweden) sediment. The percentage of anammox cell of the total population (stained with DAPI) as assessed by quantitative FISH was highest in the Barents Sea (9% +/- 4%) and in most of the samples well over 2%. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and phylogenetic analysis of the PCR products derived from the marine samples indicated the exclusive presence of members of the Candidatus 'Scalindua' genus. This study showed the ubiquitous presence of anammox bacteria in anoxic marine ecosystems, supporting previous observations on the importance of anammox for N cycling in marine environments.
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