Nitrogen Fixation In The Marine Environment

Nitrogen in the Marine Environment provides information pertinent to the many aspects of the nitrogen cycle. This book presents the advances in ocean productivity research, with emphasis on the role of microbes in nitrogen transformations with excursions to higher trophic levels. Organized into 24 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the abundance and distribution of the various forms of nitrogen in a number of estuaries. This text then provides a comparison of the nitrogen cycling of various ecosystems within the marine environment. Other chapters consider chemical distributions and methodology as an aid to those entering the field. This book discusses as well the enzymology of the initial steps of inorganic nitrogen assimilation. The final chapter deals with the philosophy and application of modeling as an investigative method in basic research on nitrogen dynamics in coastal and open-ocean marine environments. This book is a valuable resource for plant biochemists, microbiologists, aquatic ecologists, and bacteriologists.

This book aims to serve as a centralized reference document for students and researchers interested in aspects of marine nitrogen fixation. Although nitrogen is a critical element in both terrestrial and aquatic productivity, and nitrogen fixation is a key process that balances losses due to denitrification in both environments, most resources on the subject focuses on the biochemistry and microbiology of such processes and the organisms involved in the terrestrial environment on symbiosis in terrestrial systems, or on largely ecological aspects in the marine environment. This book is intended to provide an overview of N2 fixation research for marine researchers, while providing a reference on marine research for researchers in other fields, including terrestrial N2 fixation. This book bridges this knowledge gap for both specialists and non-experts, and provides an in-depth overview of the important aspects of nitrogen fixation as it relates to the marine environment. This resource will be useful for researchers in the specialized field, but also useful for scientists in other disciplines who are interested in the topic. It would provide a possible text for upper division classes or graduate seminars.

This book provides essential information regarding the dynamics and rate processes of nitrogenous compounds in the sea. Topics discussed include characteristics and behavior of nitrogen at the atomic, molecular, and isotopic levels; elemental rate processes and physico-chemical and biological factors; the dynamics of nitrogen in several representative marine ecosystems; and current progress in isotope marine biogeochemistry. The book emphasizes the distribution and variation of nitrogen isotopes, which can provide a novel approach to understanding nitrogen metabolisms occurring in marine ecosystems. Nitrogen in the Sea: Forms, Abundances, and Rate Processes should be considered an indispensable reference tool for researchers and post-graduate students interested in the nitrogen cycle in aquatic ecosystems

Nitrogen discharge to the coastal environment has been increasing, posing the threat of accelerated eutrofication. Considerable research has been conducted in recent years to examine the impact of the nitrogen loading in coastal ecosystems. Based on proceedings from a SCOPE symposium held at the University of Aarhus in July of 1985, this volume covers a variety of up-to-date developments in research on nitrogen cycling in coastal marine environments. Topics include the role of nitrogen in algal productivity, regeneration of nutrients in the water column and the sediments, and the flow of nitrogen in coastal ecosystems.

Marine biological science is now studied at the molecular level and although research scientists depend on information gained using molecular techniques, there is no book explaining the philosophy of this approach. Molecular Approaches to the Study of the Ocean introduces the reasons why molecular technology is such a powerful tool in the study of the oceans, describing the types of techniques that can be used, why they are useful and gives examples of their application. Molecular biological techniques allow phylogenetic relationships to be explored in a manner that no macroscopic method can; although the book deals with organisms near the base of the marine food web, the ideas can be used in studies of macroorganisms as well as those in freshwater environments.