n 2 fixation/new production
DESCRIPTION
1 Department of Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Old Dominion University. N 2 fixation/New production. Margie Mulholland. N 2 fixation and C productivity. Ultimately all new production is from N 2 fixation. N limitation of primary productivity in the bulk of the ocean - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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N2 fixation/New production
Margie Mulholland
1Department of Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Old Dominion University
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N2 fixation and C productivity
• Ultimately all new production is from N2 fixation. N limitation of primary productivity in the bulk of the ocean
• Fix new N into N limited aquatic systems to fuel ecosystem production
• N losses exceed N inputs in current N budgets – missing N2 fixation relative to denitrification?
• Changes in oceanic N inventory over time affects ocean productivity
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Global distributions of diazotrophs
• How do we know where they are?
• Based on what’s known or thought about physiology
• Temperature
• Nutrient concentrations – absence of N, presence of Fe and P
• Ratios – geochemical inventories
• Satellites – ocean color and unique cyanobacterial pigments
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Factors Potentially Limiting Marine N2 Fixation
• Physical: – light (photoautotrophs), – temperature – stability (mixing)
• Chemical: O2 (inhibition)• Nutritional: Fe, P, Si, Mo, other
metals; presence of DIN• Organic matter supply (heterotrophs)
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Temperature - 20 degree isotherm
Trichodesmium focused
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Moore et al. 2002
Nutrient limitation of N2 fixation
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N2 fixation and dissolved Fe
Figure 3. Seasonal maps showing the potential for nitrogen fixation in the world oceans. Maps were generated by converting global dust iron fluxes to total dissolved iron and using the relationship shown in between log[Fe’] and nitrogen fixation : maximum nitrogen fixation. From Berman-Frank et al. 2001 (Fig. 6).
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Global Trichodesmium bloom occurrence
• From Westberry and Siegel (2006)• 6-year mean (Sep 1997-Dec 2003)
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Quantifying N2 fixation and N2 fixation from blooms
•Using 1500 mmol N m-2 d-1 for bloom N2 fixation rates (after Capone et al., 2006)
this depends on rate per colony usedalso on density of Tricho per literalso their physiological state
•“Normal” range of water column N2 fixation 15-691 mmol N m-2 d-
1 (Mulholland & Lomas 2008, Mulholland et al. 2006)•1000 mmol N m-2 d-1 during a Richelia bloom (Subramaniam et al. 2008)
Global Tricho bloom N2 fix = 8.5 ± 1.2 Tg N yr-1
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• Total oceanic N2 fixation ~ 100 Tg N yr-1 (Galloway et al. 2004)– Range is 5 – 150 Tmol N yr-1 (Carpenter & Capone 2008)– depends on model used & drivers (which limitations are assumed)
• Basin-specific estimates also have order(s) of magnitude variability
• Not many measurements – need measurements for models!• Mostly Trichodesmium-based estimates – high variability in
rates of N2 fixation (0.1 – 20.4 nmol N col-1 d-1) and variable density, C:N2 fixation (1.2 – 703; is this physiology?) and N release rates (12-74% of recently fixed N2) (Mulholland et al. 2006, Mulholland 2007)
Context
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~130 TgN/yr(40o S-65o N)
From Deutsch et al. (2007)
Global Geochemical N2 Fixation[m
mol/m
2/yr]
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• Trichodesmium• Diazotrophic diatom associations (e.g.,
Richelia/Hemiaulus and others)• Coccoid cyanobacteria (groups a, b, and c)• Bacterioplankton- & proteobacteria• Copepod gut flora• Archaea
Other pelagic sources of N2 fixation:
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Moisander et al. 2010
UCYN-A
Crocosphaera
18 & 25 oC isotherm
Other diazotrophs might have broader ranges
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Global “Cyanobacteria” distribution
• Yellow = Synechococcus-like cyanobacteria (SLC)
From Alvain et al. (2008)
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Deutsch et al. 2007
Assume flux associated with fixation
C Flux from Dinitrogen Fixation
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Lower euphotic
zone- 100 -
(Chl max)PONNO3
-
Uppereuphotic
zone
N2 fixation
Classical viewView with N2 fixation
Desert
PON/POC
DIC/NH4+ PON/POC
100- 0 -
- 50 -
- 75 -
- 25 -
De
pth
(m)
CO2
CO2
NO3-/
DIC
PONNO3-
NH4+
CO2
N2
PON/POC
NO3-/
DICPON/POC
More new production = greater export productionBut does this account for the ecology?
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PON/POC
PON/POC
DIC/NH4+ PON/POC
NO3-/
DIC
Up
per
eu
ph
oti
c zo
ne
Lo
we r
eu
ph
oti
c zo
ne /
chl
max
CO2
PON/POC
DIC/NH4+
N2
PON/POC
NO3-/
DICPON/POC
CO2
PON/POC
DIC/NH4+ PON/POC
NO3-/
DICPON/POC
NO3-/ CO2NO3
-/ CO2NO3-/ CO2
A. Classical gyres B. N2 fixation & export C. N2 fixation & remineralization
OR
OR
CO2N2
Hood et al. 2000, Mulholland 2007
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Implications?Does N2 fixation yield stoichiometric drawdown of atmospheric CO2?
Sinking
Trichodesmium
Grazers
TrichodesmiumOR
MicrobialLoopPhyto
NH4+ & DON & DOCVirus
Ecology matters
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Subramaniam et al. 200?
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Implications?Maybe for some N2 fixers?
Sinking
DDA’s?
Grazers
TrichodesmiumOR
MicrobialLoopPhyto
NH4+ & DON & DOCVirus
What about picocyanos?
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The fate of new N in tropical systems
Alternative hypotheses:
1. New N from nitratenet autotrophy
sinking of large cells
grazing by large copepods
Large particle flux
No microbial loop
2. New N from N2 fixationnet heterotrophy
release of recently fixed N2
microbial remineralizationhigh DOM flux
Little particle flux
Developed microbial loop
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Trophic transfer of fixed N
Correlation between timing and magnitude of blooms of Karenia brevis and Trichodesmium spp. in GOM and coastal Atlantic
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Results from CliVEC
• High N2 fixation rates in unexpected places (coastal systems)
• Diverse diazotrophs in coastal systems
Other observations:
• Chl a not always well-correlated with productivity
• C and N productivity are not well correlated
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High rates of coastal N2 fixation in coastal Atlantic
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• N2 fixation rates were not correlated with temperature
• Higher rates in colder water
• Areal and volumetric rates comparable to oceanic rates
High rates of areally integrated N2 fixation rates (Aug 2009)
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Range of 17.0 – 715mol N m-2 d-1
N2 fixation rates were not confined to warm waters
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High N2 fixation not focused in high Chl areas
Depth integrated N2 fixationmol m-2 d-1 on Chl
Aug 09
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Areal rates of N2 fixation
• Areal rates 36.7 to 340 mol N m-2 d-1 in Summer and 32.7 to 199.6 mol N m-2 d-1 in Fall
• Areal rates for tropical and subtropical oceans range from 3.7 to 703 mol N m-2 d-1
• Areal rates for tropical North Atlantic Ocean average 239 mol N m-2 d-1
• English channel (2 sites) 350 mol N m-2 d-1 in summer
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Annual rates of N inputs due to N2 fixation
• Seasonally and between 35-45oN, an area 6.4% of the North Atlantic continental shelf
• Use our average of 135.1 mol N m-2 d-1
• N input is 0.02 Tmol N y -1, the amount previously calculated for the entire North Atlantic continental shelf (Nixon et al. 1996)
• If this rate applies for the whole shelf then 0.31 Tmol y -1 is input from shelf N2 fixation
• Estimates of N2 fixation for the entire N Atlantic basin are 0.15 to 6.4 Tmol N y -1
• This is about 10% of the estimated N removal due to denitrification for the same area
• How widespread is coastal N2 fixation???
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Distribution of nif groups - qPCRGroup a – UCYN-A
Unknown
Group b (DNQ)
TrichodesmiumHemi/Richelia
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2.5 – 3.5 x 107 nif gene copies for UCYNA; very high!
High Tricho nif abundance and DDAs in 2006
4.3 – 6.5 x 106 nif genecopies for UCYNA
Tricho detected
UCYNA & DDAs104 - 106
Who and where were the diazotrophs?
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Range of 11.4 – 275.2
mol m-2 d-1
Tricho quantifiable
UCYN-AUCYN-A
Hemi/RicheliaHemi/Richelia
UCYN-AUCYN-A
UCYN-A are dominant• UCYN-A were
the dominant diazotroph detected with qPCR (x106 gene copies)
• Among highest gene copies observed
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Primary productivity (mmol C m-2 d-1) and SST(not correlated to N2 fixation)
Depth integrated C fixationon SST; Range 11.2 – 209.4 mmol m-2 d-1
Aug 09
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Depth integrated C fixationmmol m-2 d-1 on ChlRange 11.2 – 209.4
Aug 09
Primary productivity (mmol C m-2 d-1) and Chl
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Summary• The mid-Atlantic shelf harbors a diverse group of
diazotrophs which fix N2 at high rates (bacteria have low 15N there although diazotrophs were not observed in Meador study)
• Coastal areas are largely excluded from geochemical estimates on the grounds that they are nutrient replete.
• We are really in our infancy in understanding where N2 fixation occurs and the physiological capacity and limitations of diazotrophic organisms.
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Implications for C
• N2 fixation related to new production and fluxes
• New production underestimated
Many other complications:• But UCYN-A are photoheterotrophs so may not
fix or draw down C• Food web interactions
• Future scenarios with high CO2?
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Future• Increased N2 fixation - ~25 -
50% with doubled pCO2 affecting ecosystems and C export
• Increases in Tricho and other cyanos ranges with warming
• Increased N release fueling regenerated production
• Which taxa will respond?• In food webs and
biogeochemical function and ocean C uptake, not all phytoplankton are equal
Hutchins, Mulholland, & Fu 2009
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
N2 f
ixat
ion
(n
mol
N L
-1 h
-1) 380 ppm
750 ppm
10/26/0710/24/07 10/25/07
(nm
ol N
mg
Ch
l a-1
hou
r-1 )
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14IMSChl a-normalized
ControlHigh temperatureHigh CO2
Greenhouse
GBRCell-normalized
(nm
ol N
cel
l-1
hou
r-1 )
0
1x10-6
2x10-6
3x10-6
4x10-6
5x10-6
6x10-6
IMSCell-normalized
GBRChl a-normalized
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Other diazotrophs
• Yes for Crocosphaera
• Working on others
• Effect of other climate change variables on diazotrophy? Stratification? etc
• Expanding ranges of diazotrophs and cyanos in general?
• Other changes in phytoplankton communities in general?
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The Future
• Difficult to assess changes over time because of variability and we don’t know the physiological diversity of most diazotrophs (Tricho won’t grow at 180ppm)
• More measurements from the coastal region here and elsewhere to better resolve variability in C and N2 fixation
• Better understanding of the physiology of the diverse group of diazotrophs and their limits and tolerances to advise models
• Need to understand mechanisms to be predictive
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Needs• Where is N2 fixation? Where isn’t it? (e.g., eastern Med – models
predict N2 fixation; Yogev et al. 2011, Mulholland & Capone 2009)
• What N2 fixers are where? What is their physiology and role in ecosystem production?
• Relationship of diazotrophic production with export (grazing on diazos)• Relationship of diazotrophs within ecosystems – ecosystem balance (net
auto vs. net hetero) • Ecosystem shifts over time associated with climate variability and
change• Nitrogen:carbon relationship
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Physiology
• Important
• Can’t capture it all in models
• What are the most important physiological characteristics to get right?
• To describe the past?
• To project the future? (the goal)