The Ecology of Nitrogen Fixation in Cyanobacterial Mats

Stal, Lucas J.; Severin, Ina; Bolhuis, Henk

doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1528-3_3

Cited by 41 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(59 reference statements)

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“…On the basis of this specific trait, one would expect nutrient levels to explain much of the variation in the biovolume of N fixers in lakes (as low N availability favors N fixers and high N may preclude them), as we observed. Moreover, since N fixation is an energetically costly process (Stal et al 2010), it is also understandable why these taxa tend to be sensitive to low irradiance so that even under low N availability they may be excluded from very nutrient-rich and hence turbid lakes (Zevenboom and Mur 1980). All in all, it makes sense that nutrients explain most of the variation in the occurrence of these two taxa.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The interaction between climate warming and eutrophication to promote cyanobacteria is dependent on trophic state and varies among taxa

Rigosi

Carey

Ibelings

et al. 2014

Limnology & Oceanography

358

235

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Cyanobacteria are predicted to increase due to climate and land use change. However, the relative importance and interaction of warming temperatures and increased nutrient availability in determining cyanobacterial blooms are unknown. We investigated the contribution of these two factors in promoting phytoplankton and cyanobacterial biovolume in freshwater lakes. Specifically, we asked: (1) Which of these two drivers, temperature or nutrients, is a better predictor of cyanobacterial biovolume? (2) Do nutrients and temperature significantly interact to affect phytoplankton and cyanobacteria, and if so, is the interaction synergistic? and (3) Does the interaction between these factors explain more of the variance in cyanobacterial biovolume than each factor alone? We analyzed data from . 1000 U.S. lakes and demonstrate that in most cases, the interaction of temperature and nutrients was not synergistic; rather, nutrients predominantly controlled cyanobacterial biovolume. Interestingly, the relative importance of these two factors and their interaction was dependent on lake trophic state and cyanobacterial taxon. Nutrients played a larger role in oligotrophic lakes, while temperature was more important in mesotrophic lakes: Only eutrophic and hyper-eutrophic lakes exhibited a significant interaction between nutrients and temperature. Likewise, some taxa, such as Anabaena, were more sensitive to nutrients, while others, such as Microcystis, were more sensitive to temperature. We compared our results with an extensive literature review and found that they were generally supported by previous studies. As lakes become more eutrophic, cyanobacteria will be more sensitive to the interaction of nutrients and temperature, but ultimately nutrients are the more important predictor of cyanobacterial biovolume.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The interaction between climate warming and eutrophication to promote cyanobacteria is dependent on trophic state and varies among taxa

Rigosi

Carey

Ibelings

et al. 2014

Limnology & Oceanography

358

235

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“…The cost of producing and secreting EMVs in biofilms may be better justified than in planktonic environments. Therefore, a free-living cyanobacterium living in the open ocean may have a harsher life than a cyanobacterium living in a microbial mat (752,753). Living in a crowded "city," called biofilm, may be a preferred lifestyle for most aquatic microorganisms if conditions permit (22).…”

Section: Extracellular Membrane Vesicles As Mechanisms For Both Coopementioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Surface Colonization and Biofilm Development in Marine Environments

Dang

Lovell

2016

Microbiol Mol Biol Rev

835

636

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SUMMARYBiotic and abiotic surfaces in marine waters are rapidly colonized by microorganisms. Surface colonization and subsequent biofilm formation and development provide numerous advantages to these organisms and support critical ecological and biogeochemical functions in the changing marine environment. Microbial surface association also contributes to deleterious effects such as biofouling, biocorrosion, and the persistence and transmission of harmful or pathogenic microorganisms and their genetic determinants. The processes and mechanisms of colonization as well as key players among the surface-associated microbiota have been studied for several decades. Accumulating evidence indicates that specific cell-surface, cell-cell, and interpopulation interactions shape the composition, structure, spatiotemporal dynamics, and functions of surface-associated microbial communities. Several key microbial processes and mechanisms, including (i) surface, population, and community sensing and signaling, (ii) intraspecies and interspecies communication and interaction, and (iii) the regulatory balance between cooperation and competition, have been identified as critical for the microbial surface association lifestyle. In this review, recent progress in the study of marine microbial surface colonization and biofilm development is synthesized and discussed. Major gaps in our knowledge remain. We pose questions for targeted investigation of surface-specific community-level microbial features, answers to which would advance our understanding of surface-associated microbial community ecology and the biogeochemical functions of these communities at levels from molecular mechanistic details through systems biological integration.

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“…(Scotty Analyzed Gases, Sigma-Aldrich) in air was used to estimate the ethylene produced. Acetylene (20% in air) was used as an internal standard (Stal, 1988). The nitrogenase activity calculated from the ethylene produced was corrected using the two controls and expressed per surface area of microbial mat cores and time.…”

Section: Measurement Of Nitrogenase Activity Aramentioning

confidence: 99%

The cyanobacterium Mastigocladus fulfills the nitrogen demand of a terrestrial hot spring microbial mat

et al. 2015

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Research (CR)2, Santiago, ChileCyanobacteria from Subsection V (Stigonematales) are important components of microbial mats in non-acidic terrestrial hot springs. Despite their diazotrophic nature (N 2 fixers), their impact on the nitrogen cycle in such extreme ecosystems remains unknown. Here, we surveyed the identity and activity of diazotrophic cyanobacteria in the neutral hot spring of Porcelana (Northern Patagonia, Chile) during 2009 and 2011-2013. We used 16S rRNA and the nifH gene to analyze the distribution and diversity of diazotrophic cyanobacteria. Our results demonstrate the dominance of the heterocystous genus Mastigocladus (Stigonematales) along the entire temperature gradient of the hot spring (69-38°C). In situ nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction), nitrogen fixation rates (cellular uptake of 15 N 2 ) and nifH transcription levels in the microbial mats showed that nitrogen fixation and nifH mRNA expression were light-dependent. Nitrogen fixation activities were detected at temperatures ranging from 58°C to 46°C, with maximum daily rates of 600 nmol C 2 H 4 cm − 2 per day and 94.1 nmol N cm − 2 per day. These activity patterns strongly suggest a heterocystous cyanobacterial origin and reveal a correlation between nitrogenase activity and nifH gene expression during diurnal cycles in thermal microbial mats. N and C fixation in the mats contributed~3 g N m − 2 per year and 27 g C m − 2 per year, suggesting that these vital demands are fully met by the diazotrophic and photoautotrophic capacities of the cyanobacteria in the Porcelana hot spring.

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The Ecology of Nitrogen Fixation in Cyanobacterial Mats

Cited by 41 publications

References 69 publications

The interaction between climate warming and eutrophication to promote cyanobacteria is dependent on trophic state and varies among taxa

The interaction between climate warming and eutrophication to promote cyanobacteria is dependent on trophic state and varies among taxa

Microbial Surface Colonization and Biofilm Development in Marine Environments

The cyanobacterium Mastigocladus fulfills the nitrogen demand of a terrestrial hot spring microbial mat

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