Gradientes de fijacion de nitrogeno en los sedimentos marinos asoc1ados a arrecifes coralinos en el suroeste de puerto rico

Abstract

Marine sediment samples and interstitial water from five stations at the southwest of Puerto Rico with different characteristics in composition, were submitted to acetylene reduction technique for nitrogen fixation quantification and ammonium analysis res¬pectively. All stations showed positive results. Glucose addition to the samples increased nitrogen fixation in a proportion of 50 to 200. Organic matter per cent correlated to both: nitrogen fixation and ammonium concentration, indicated a direct proporcto¬nality. In addition nitrogen fixation correlated to the ammonium concentration per sta¬tion, showed that nitrogen fixation could be limited by the ammonium ion presence in those benthic systems.