Functional ecology of free-living nitrogen fixation: A contemporary perspective
Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) availability is thought to frequently limit terrestrial ecosystem processes, and explicit consideration of N biogeochemistry, including biological N2 fixation, is central to understanding ecosystem responses to environmental change. Yet, the importance of free-living N2 fixation—a process that occurs on a wide variety of substrates, is nearly ubiquitous in terrestrial ecosystems, and may often represent the dominant pathway for acquiring newly available N—is often underappreciated. Here, we draw from studies that investigate free-living N2 fixation from functional, physiological, genetic, and ecological perspectives. We show that recent research and analytical advances have generated a wealth of new information that provides novel insight into the ecology of N2 fixation as well as raises new questions and priorities for future work. These priorities include a need to better integrate free-living N2 fixation into conceptual and analytical evaluations of the N cycle's role in a variety of global change scenarios.
Suggested Citation
Reed, S.C., Cleveland, C.C., and Townsend, A.R., 2011, Functional ecology of free-living nitrogen fixation: A contemporary perspective: Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, v. 42, p. 489-512, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-102710-145034.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Functional ecology of free-living nitrogen fixation: A contemporary perspective |
| Series title | Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics |
| DOI | 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-102710-145034 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Year Published | 2011 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Annual Reviews |
| Publisher location | Palo Alto, CA |
| Contributing office(s) | Southwest Biological Science Center |
| Description | 24 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics |
| First page | 489 |
| Last page | 512 |