Skip to main content

Write a PREreview

Diversity of diazotrophs in the Northern Pacific Ocean and sensitivity of the symbiotic unicellular cyanobacteria (UCYN-A) to inorganic nitrogen availability

Posted
Server
bioRxiv
DOI
10.1101/2025.04.05.647397

This study investigates the diversity and nutrient responses of diazotrophs, nitrogen-fixing microorganisms critical for marine productivity, across a transect from the California Current System to the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Using nifH gene analysis as a proxy for diazotroph presence, we documented shifts in community composition from coastal to oligotrophic waters, with UCYN-A and Pseudomonas dominating transition zones while more diverse communities including Trichodesmium emerged in oligotrophic regions. Nutrient addition experiments tested UCYN-A1 responses to various nitrogen forms (NH□□, NO□□, urea), iron, and phosphorus over 48-hour incubations. Results challenge traditional assumptions that diazotrophs prefer low dissolved inorganic nitrogen environments, as UCYN-A1 abundances showed variable but non-negative responses to nitrogen additions. Time-course analyses revealed region-specific utilization patterns: continuous nitrogen utilization from 24-48 hours in the California Current transition zone versus more rapid utilization within the first 24 hours in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. These findings contribute to our understanding of nitrogen fixation biogeography and suggest that diazotroph distributions may be more strongly influenced by competition for phosphorus and iron rather than inhibition by fixed nitrogen availability.

You can write a PREreview of Diversity of diazotrophs in the Northern Pacific Ocean and sensitivity of the symbiotic unicellular cyanobacteria (UCYN-A) to inorganic nitrogen availability. A PREreview is a review of a preprint and can vary from a few sentences to a lengthy report, similar to a journal-organized peer-review report.

Before you start

We will ask you to log in with your ORCID iD. If you don’t have an iD, you can create one.

What is an ORCID iD?

An ORCID iD is a unique identifier that distinguishes you from everyone with the same or similar name.

Start now