Marine nitrogen fixation

Nitrogen fixation is a vital biochemical process that supports the productivity of marine environments. It involves the conversion of nitrogen gas (N2) to forms available to living organisms such as ammonia (NH3), ammonium (NH+4), nitrate (NO−3), and nitrite (NO−2). Since nitrogen is a limiting nutrient in most marine ecosystems, nitrogen fixation plays a key role in sustaining primary production, particularly in oligotrophic regions. Currently about 13 prokaryote genera are known to fix nitrogen. Understanding marine nitrogen fixation is crucial to the study of global nitrogen cycling. Research indicates an imbalance between nitrogen fixation and denitrification rates, impacting nitrogen availability in different oceanic regions.

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