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Variability in benthic diazotrophy and cyanobacterial diversity in a tropical intertidal lagoon

Bauer, Karolina ; Díez, Beatriz ; Lugomela, Charles ; Seppälä, Susanna ; Borg, Agneta Julia LU and Bergman, Birgitta (2008) In FEMS Microbiology Ecology 63(2). p.21-205
Abstract

Benthic nitrogen fixation has been estimated to contribute 15 Tg N year(-1) to the marine nitrogen budget. With benthic marine nitrogen fixation being largely overlooked in more recent surveys, a refocus on benthic diazotrophy was considered important. Variations in nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction-gas chromatography) in a tropical lagoon in the western Indian Ocean (Zanzibar, Tanzania) were monitored over a 3-year period (2003-2005) and related to cyanobacterial and diazotrophic microbial diversity using a polyphasic approach. Different nitrogenase activity patterns were discerned, with the predominant pattern being high daytime activities combined with low nighttime activities. Analyses of the morphological and 16S rRNA gene... (More)

Benthic nitrogen fixation has been estimated to contribute 15 Tg N year(-1) to the marine nitrogen budget. With benthic marine nitrogen fixation being largely overlooked in more recent surveys, a refocus on benthic diazotrophy was considered important. Variations in nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction-gas chromatography) in a tropical lagoon in the western Indian Ocean (Zanzibar, Tanzania) were monitored over a 3-year period (2003-2005) and related to cyanobacterial and diazotrophic microbial diversity using a polyphasic approach. Different nitrogenase activity patterns were discerned, with the predominant pattern being high daytime activities combined with low nighttime activities. Analyses of the morphological and 16S rRNA gene diversity among cyanobacteria revealed filamentous nonheterocystous (Oscillatoriales) and unicellular (Chroococcales) representatives to be predominant. Analyses of the nifH gene diversity showed that the major phylotypes belonged to noncyanobacterial prokaryotes. However, as shown by cyanobacterial selective nifH-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis, cyanobacterial nifH gene sequences were present at all sites. Several nifH and 16S rRNA gene phylotypes were related to uncultured cyanobacteria or bacteria of geographically distant habitats, stressing the widespread occurrence of still poorly characterized microorganisms in tropical benthic marine communities.

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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Base Sequence, Biodiversity, Cloning, Molecular, Cyanobacteria/classification, Microscopy, Electron, Scanning, Molecular Sequence Data, Nitrogenase/metabolism, Oxidoreductases/genetics, Phylogeny, Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length, RNA, Bacterial/genetics, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics, Seawater/microbiology, Sequence Analysis, RNA, Tanzania, Tropical Climate
in
FEMS Microbiology Ecology
volume
63
issue
2
pages
17 pages
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • pmid:18199084
  • scopus:38049162382
ISSN
0168-6496
DOI
10.1111/j.1574-6941.2007.00423.x
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
572e7d7d-e777-4ad1-87e7-b7898abaa695
date added to LUP
2023-03-09 14:29:27
date last changed
2024-06-13 16:08:30
@article{572e7d7d-e777-4ad1-87e7-b7898abaa695,
  abstract     = {{<p>Benthic nitrogen fixation has been estimated to contribute 15 Tg N year(-1) to the marine nitrogen budget. With benthic marine nitrogen fixation being largely overlooked in more recent surveys, a refocus on benthic diazotrophy was considered important. Variations in nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction-gas chromatography) in a tropical lagoon in the western Indian Ocean (Zanzibar, Tanzania) were monitored over a 3-year period (2003-2005) and related to cyanobacterial and diazotrophic microbial diversity using a polyphasic approach. Different nitrogenase activity patterns were discerned, with the predominant pattern being high daytime activities combined with low nighttime activities. Analyses of the morphological and 16S rRNA gene diversity among cyanobacteria revealed filamentous nonheterocystous (Oscillatoriales) and unicellular (Chroococcales) representatives to be predominant. Analyses of the nifH gene diversity showed that the major phylotypes belonged to noncyanobacterial prokaryotes. However, as shown by cyanobacterial selective nifH-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis, cyanobacterial nifH gene sequences were present at all sites. Several nifH and 16S rRNA gene phylotypes were related to uncultured cyanobacteria or bacteria of geographically distant habitats, stressing the widespread occurrence of still poorly characterized microorganisms in tropical benthic marine communities.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bauer, Karolina and Díez, Beatriz and Lugomela, Charles and Seppälä, Susanna and Borg, Agneta Julia and Bergman, Birgitta}},
  issn         = {{0168-6496}},
  keywords     = {{Base Sequence; Biodiversity; Cloning, Molecular; Cyanobacteria/classification; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Molecular Sequence Data; Nitrogenase/metabolism; Oxidoreductases/genetics; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; RNA, Bacterial/genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics; Seawater/microbiology; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Tanzania; Tropical Climate}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{21--205}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{FEMS Microbiology Ecology}},
  title        = {{Variability in benthic diazotrophy and cyanobacterial diversity in a tropical intertidal lagoon}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2007.00423.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1574-6941.2007.00423.x}},
  volume       = {{63}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}