Hydrogen cycling by the unicellular marine diazotroph Crocosphaera watsonii strain WH8501

The hydrogen (H₂) cycle associated with the dinitrogen (N₂) fixation process was studied in laboratory cultures of the marine cyanobacterium Crocosphaera watsonii. The rates of H₂ production and acetylene (C₂H₂) reduction were continuously measured over the diel cycle with simultaneous measurements of fast repetition rate fluorometry and dissolved oxygen. The maximum rate of H₂ production was coincident with the maximum rates of C₂H₂ reduction. Theoretical stoichiometry for N₂ fixation predicts an equimolar ratio of H₂ produced to N₂ fixed. However, the maximum rate of net H₂ production observed was 0.09 nmol H₂ μg chlorophyll a (chl a)⁻¹ h⁻¹) compared to the N₂ fixation rate of 5.5 nmol N₂ μg chl a⁻¹ h⁻¹, with an H₂ production/N₂ fixation ratio of 0.02. The 50-fold discrepancy between expected and observed rates of H₂ production was hypothesized to be a result of H₂ reassimilation by uptake hydrogenase. This was confirmed by the addition of carbon monoxide (CO), a potent inhibitor of hydrogenase, which increased net H₂ production rates ∼40-fold to a maximum rate of 3.5 nmol H₂ μg chl a⁻¹ h⁻¹. We conclude that the reassimilation of H₂ by C. watsonii is highly efficient (> 98%) and hypothesize that the tight coupling between H₂ production and consumption is a consequence of fixing N₂ at nighttime using a finite pool of respiratory carbon and electrons acquired from daytime solar energy capture. The H₂ cycle provides unique insight into N₂ fixation and associated metabolic processes in C. watsonii.