Fig. 8: Viability range of Crocosphaera in the water column expanded in depth by heterogeneous N2 fixation. | Communications Biology

Fig. 8: Viability range of Crocosphaera in the water column expanded in depth by heterogeneous N2 fixation.

From: Heterogeneous nitrogen fixation rates confer energetic advantage and expanded ecological niche of unicellular diazotroph populations

Fig. 8

a Light dependent growth rate (µ) of populations of homogeneous (cyan dashed curve: Homo.) and heterogeneous N2 fixation (blue solid curve: Hetero.). b, c observed \({{{\mathrm{PO}}}}_4^{3 - }\) and \({{{\mathrm{NO}}}}_3^ -\) concentrations, respectively, from the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT); 22° 45’N, 158° 00’W (ref. 49). Data are based on 25 years of observations (from 1988 to 2012); red dashed curves represent the averaged values. The red shading represents the difference of the depth where µ becomes zero between the two different populations in a; heterogeneous N2 fixation allows Crocosphaera to utilize higher concentration of \({{{\mathrm{PO}}}}_4^{3 - }\).

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