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Nitrogen-fixation by cyanobacteria associated withCodium fragile (Chlorophyta): Environmental effects and transfer of fixed nitrogen

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Abstract

N2-fixation associated with the green macroalgaCodium fragile subsp.tomentosoides (van Goor) Silva from Long Island, New York, USA, was attributable to several species of endophytic cyanobacteria. Rates of N2-fixation ranged from 0.03 to 3.2µg N g−1 dry wt h−1 in freshly collected plants from several sites. Growth of the cyanobacteria appeared to be light-limited, due to the transmission of only 5 to 10% of incident light through the pigmented surface-layer of the macroalga. Daily irradiance was the most important factor determining both abundance of cyanobacterial cells and rate of N2-fixation. The rate was also affected by instantaneous irradiance, and increased twofold from dark to ambient surface irradiance. Rates were reduced at low temperature (8°C) but showed no temperature effect between 12° and 26°C. External concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) up to 20µM did not influence N2-fixation rate, but long-term exposure to 60µmol l−1 d−1 of NH +4 caused a reduction in the rate. InC. fragile grown under high daily irradiance and low external DIN concentration, ~50% of the assimilated-N was attributable to N2-fixation. However, chlorophyllb extracted from plants grown with15N2 showed an atom % excess15N of less than 0.1, suggesting that only a small proportion of the bacterially fixed-N was transferred to the seaweed. The association betweenC. fragile and its endophytic cyanobacteria appears to be based primarily on microhabitat suitability, rather than mutual metabolic dependence. It is doubtful that N2-fixation by cyanobacteria is important to the ecological success of this seaweed species.

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Author notes

  1. G. Rosenberg

    Present address: Département de biologie, Université Laval, G1K 7P4, Québec, Québec, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Sciences Research Center, State University of New York, 11794-5000, Stony Brook, New York, USA

    V. A. Gerard, S. E. Dunham & G. Rosenberg

Authors
  1. V. A. Gerard
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  2. S. E. Dunham
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  3. G. Rosenberg
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Communicated by J. Grassle, Woods Hole

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Gerard, V.A., Dunham, S.E. & Rosenberg, G. Nitrogen-fixation by cyanobacteria associated withCodium fragile (Chlorophyta): Environmental effects and transfer of fixed nitrogen. Mar. Biol. 105, 1–8 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344264

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