Vanadium nitrogenase fuels forest moss N fixation
Vanadium nitrogenase was active in most valid moss and lichen samples across three continents, averaging about 40% of moss N2 fixation.
Source
Global Role of Vanadium for Cryptogamic Nitrogen Fixation in Extratropical Forests
Study at a glance
- Design
- Cross-sectional — LISARA assays of moss and lichen V-nitrogenase across three continents
- N
- N=109 · 109 sampling plots (>40 sites, 9 locations); multiple cryptogam samples per plot
- Population
- Mosses and lichens in extratropical forests of North America, South America, and East Asia
- Outcome
- Share of biological N2 fixation attributable to vanadium nitrogenase
Structured fields used in claim comparison tables when every cited study has a complete layer.
What they did
Used low-activity isotopic acetylene reduction (LISARA) on cryptogams from over 40 sites in 9 locations across North America, South America, and East Asia.
What they found
V-Nase occurred in 68±20% of samples by site (79% of valid assays), 15 of 28 genera, from 28% of Hokkaido samples to 94% in North Carolina; mosses ~40% and lichens ~25% of BNF.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Isotopes cannot yet separate V-only from Fe-only nitrogenase, and assays do not scale measured rates to a global N budget.
Key terms
- V-Nase
- Vanadium-based alternative nitrogenase used when molybdenum is scarce.
- BNF
- Biological nitrogen fixation converting N2 into biologically available N.
- LISARA
- Low-activity isotopic acetylene reduction assay that distinguishes Mo vs alternative nitrogenases.
- Cryptogams
- Mosses, lichens, and similar non-seed covers that host N-fixing microbes.
- Mo-Nase
- Canonical molybdenum nitrogenase, the textbook N2-fixing enzyme.
- Acetylene reduction
- Proxy assay in which nitrogenase reduces acetylene to ethylene.
Flashcards
Research intelligence for this paper
See its role on concept claims, tensions it is part of, placement history, and related discoveries.
Quiz yourself
Sampling scope:
Common questions
Sites?
Over 40 sites, 9 locations, 3 continents.
Positive V-Nase share?
68±20% of samples by location; 79% of valid assays.
Moss vs lichen V share?
About 40% vs 25% of specimen BNF.
Genera with V-Nase?
15 of 28 tested.
More on Nitrogen cycle