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. 2025 Jun 1;10(3):412-429.
doi: 10.1002/lol2.10459.

A global dataset of nitrogen fixation rates across inland and coastal waters

Affiliations

A global dataset of nitrogen fixation rates across inland and coastal waters

Robinson W Fulweiler et al. Limnol Oceanogr Lett. .

Abstract

Biological nitrogen fixation is the conversion of dinitrogen (N2) gas into bioavailable nitrogen by microorganisms with consequences for primary production, ecosystem function, and global climate. Here we present a compiled dataset of 4793 nitrogen fixation (N2-fixation) rates measured in the water column and benthos of inland and coastal systems via the acetylene reduction assay, 15N2 labeling, or N2/Ar technique. While the data are distributed across seven continents, most observations (88%) are from the northern hemisphere. 15N2 labeling accounted for 67% of water column measurements, while the acetylene reduction assay accounted for 81% of benthic N2-fixation observations. Dataset median area-, volume-, and mass-normalized N2-fixation rates are 7.1 μmol N2-N m-2 h-1, 2.3 × 10-4 μmol N2-N L-1 h-1, and 4.8 × 10-4 μmol N2-N g-1 h-1, respectively. This dataset will facilitate future efforts to study and scale N2-fixation contributions across inland and coastal aquatic environments.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Geographic locations of N2-fixation rate measurements by habitat included in this dataset. F.W. Wetlands stands for freshwater wetlands.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
N2-fixation rate observations separated by reported sampling month for the northern and southern hemispheres (columns) and habitats (rows). NA means study did not report sampling month.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Histogram of N2-fixation rates by substrate (rows) and method (color).
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
N2-fixation rates by habitat and method separated by units.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Literature selection flowchart for the development of this dataset.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
Overview of major recommendations to improve our understanding of N2-fixation across inland and coastal waters.

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