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JPR Advance Access first published online on January 26, 2007
This version published online on January 31, 2007
Journal of Plankton Research, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbm019
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Nodularia sp. nifH gene transcripts in the Baltic Sea proper

Kjärstin H. Boström, Lasse Riemann*, Ulla Li Zweifel and Åke Hagström

School of Pure and Applied Natural Sciences, Kalmar University, S-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden

* Corresponding author: Lasse Riemann, Email address: Lasse.Riemann{at}hik.se. Phone: (+46) 480 447334. Fax: (+46) 480 447340

Received on December 13, 2006; revised on January 11, 2007; accepted on January 18, 2007


  Abstract

Nitrogen fixation contributes significantly to the nitrogen input to the Baltic Sea. To develop a better understanding of the dynamics of plankton productivity, it is important to identify the N2-fixing organisms and determine their activity and distribution. In the Baltic Sea proper, we identified two cyanobacteria, Nodularia and Aphanizomenon, as the main nitrogenase transcribing organisms in surface waters (4 m) based upon a library of 84 nitrogenase gene (nifH) clones. Using a quantitative species-specific real-time PCR protocol, Nodularia nifH gene transcription was found to be temporally and spatially variable with a strong peak at early to mid day and large variations at a single station over periods of months. The highest Nodularia nifH transcript concentration was observed in July (3.4 x 106 nifH copies L–1). Large variations were observed between stations, presumably due to patchiness of Nodularia biomass and variations in the exact day time of sampling. Rapid quantification of nitrogenase transcripts at the species level represents an important advancement for research concerning the distribution and regulation of planktonic cyanobacterial N2-fixation.

Key Words: nifH • Nodularia • cyanobacteria • nitrogenase transcripts • real-time PCR

Communicating editor: KJ Flynn


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