Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zhang X
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3977277 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Zhang Xinning X Sigman Daniel M DM Morel François M M FM Kraepiel Anne M L AM
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20140317 13
Biological nitrogen fixation constitutes the main input of fixed nitrogen to Earth's ecosystems, and its isotope effect is a key parameter in isotope-based interpretations of the N cycle. The nitrogen isotopic composition (δ(15)N) of newly fixed N is currently believed to be ∼-1‰, based on measurements of organic matter from diazotrophs using molybdenum (Mo)-nitrogenases. We show that the vanadium (V)- and iron (Fe)-only "alternative" nitrogenases produce fixed N with significantly lower δ(15)N ...[more]