Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Visualization of Productivity Zones Based on Nitrogen Mass Balance Model in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island
Published on: July 14, 2023
[Nitrogen fixation and primary production in Western Mediterranean]
Nicole Garcia1, Patrick Raimbault, Emma Gouze
1Laboratoire d'océanographie et de Biogéochimie, Centre d'océanologie de Marseille, CNRS, Université de la Méditerranée, 163, av. de Luminy, case 901, 13288 Marseille cedex 9, France. nicole.garcia@com.univ-mrs.fr
Abstract:
Nitrogen fixation, nitrate assimilation and primary production ((13)C/(15)N method) were investigated during one year and half in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Nitrogen fixation was detectable all over the year with rates ranged from 2 to 17 nmol N l(-1) d(-1)(d). Highest values being obtained during spring associated with the phytoplankton bloom. High rates (4-8 nmol N l(-1) d(-1)(d)) were also measured during summer, when primary productivity was very low. Then, diazotrophy process supplies significant new nitrogen during summer oligotrophic periods. This new nitrogen input can balance the annual nitrogen biogeochemical budget in the Mediterranean Sea and should explain the high nitrate/phosphate ratio observed in deep waters.
More Related Videos
08:05Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O
Published on: October 7, 2020
06:02A Low-Cost Method of Measuring the In Situ Primary Productivity of Periphyton Communities of Lentic Waters
Published on: December 16, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Primary Production
Carbon-dioxide Fixation
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation
Microbes and the Nitrogen Cycle
Overview of Metabolism
Plant Metabolism
Sunlight, the primary source of energy in plants, is first absorbed by the chlorophyll pigments present in their leaves. Plants then use this energy to carry out photosynthesis, where water is oxidized into oxygen and carbon dioxide...
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition