TY  - JOUR
VL  - 30
N2  - Semiarid desert algal crust organisms were found to fix N2
when exposed to an atomosphere which contained isotopically
enriched N. Significant quantities of the N isotope were detected
in the total crust N after 3 days of incubation under field-simulated
conditions.

Net N2 fixation rates by the algal crust organisms were 0.16
and 0.10 lb of N/acre of crust surface per day under continuous
wet and cycling wet-dry conditions, respectively. Net fixation of
N under field-simulated conditions adequately compensated for
the removal of N by livestock. The rate of N2 fixation under
field-simulated conditions increased linearly for at least 520 days.
The amount of N in the algal crust was doubled during this time.
No net N change was observed in dry crusts.

Growing algal crusts contained 1% to 2% of the total N as
extracellular NH4-N. Excretion of some fixed nitrogen was
suggested by the isotopic enrichment of the extracellular N fraction
and uptake of labeled N by grass seedlings (Artemesia sp.)
growing on incubated crusts.
A1  - Mayland, H.F.
A1  - McIntosh, T.H.
A1  - Fuller, W.H.
IS  - 1
JF  - Soil Science Society of America Proceedings
Y1  - 1966///
EP  - 60
AV  - public
TI  - Fixation of Isotopic Nitrogen on a Semiarid Soil by Algal Crust Organisms
ID  - nwisrl451
SP  - 56
UR  - https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/451/
ER  -