Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2021
Department
Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract
N2 fixation is a major component of the global N cycle and has been extensively studied in open-ocean and terrestrial ecosystems. Yet rates and ecological dynamics remain virtually unknown for the inland and coastal aquatic ecosystems (lakes, wetlands, rivers, streams, and estuaries) that connect terrestrial and marine biomes. This is due to the diversity of these habitats as well as the traditional paradigm that N2 fixation rates were low to nonexistent, and therefore not important, in these ecosystems. We identify three major research themes to advance understanding of aquatic N2 fixation: (1) the biological diversity of diazotrophs and variability of N2 fixation rates, (2) the ecological stoichiometry of N2 fixation, and (3) the upscaling of N2 fixation rates from genes to ecosystems. Coordinating research across these areas will advance limnology and oceanography by fully integrating N2 fixation into ecological dynamics of aquatic ecosystems from local to global scales.
Publication Title
Limnology And Oceanography Letters
Recommended Citation
Marcarelli, A.,
Fulweiler, R.,
&
Scott, J.
(2021).
Nitrogen fixation: A poorly understood process along the freshwater-marine continuum.
Limnology And Oceanography Letters.
http://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10220
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/15457
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Publisher's PDF