Globally Distributed Uncultivated Oceanic N 2 -Fixing Cyanobacteria Lack Oxygenic Photosystem II
- 14 November 2008
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 322 (5904), 1110-1112
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1165340
Abstract
Biological nitrogen (N 2 ) fixation is important in controlling biological productivity and carbon flux in the oceans. Unicellular N 2 -fixing cyanobacteria have only recently been discovered and are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical seas. Metagenomic analysis of flow cytometry–sorted cells shows that unicellular N 2 -fixing cyanobacteria in “group A” (UCYN-A) lack genes for the oxygen-evolving photosystem II and for carbon fixation, which has implications for oceanic carbon and nitrogen cycling and raises questions regarding the evolution of photosynthesis and N 2 fixation on Earth.Keywords
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