Potential environmental controls on nitrogenase activity in biological crusts of the northern Chihuahuan Desert
2002
Abstract We used the acetylene reduction assay to analyse soil nitrogenase activity at the Jornada Long-Term Ecological Research site (northern Chihuahuan Desert, New Mexico, U.S.A.). A three-day irrigation and fertilization experiment showed that water and carbon (glucose) enhanced nitrogenase activity, while NH 4 NO 3 reduced activity. Micronutrient (Mo, Fe, Co) and phosphorus fertilization had no significant effect. A survey of Jornada Basin soils did not reveal an inverse relationship between nitrogenase activity and the ratio of available nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P), as hypothesized; however, the highest rates of nitrogenase activity were detected in tarbush floodplain soils with a low ratio of available N to P. These findings suggest that labile carbon and inorganic N may exert a stronger control on nitrogenase activity than phosphorus or micronutrient levels.
Keywords:
- Correction
- Source
- Cite
- Save
- Machine Reading By IdeaReader
68
References
31
Citations
NaN
KQI