abstract
The seaweed Macrocystis pyrifera plays an important role in the coastal zone as a result of its global distribution,
high productivity and detrital export, and the high diversity of the ecological communities that
it supports. Growth of the giant kelp Macrocystis, like other seaweeds, is often limited by the availability
of fixed nitrogen. Several other macroalgal species have been reported to harbor microbial symbionts
that fix ubiquitous dissolved N2, converting it into bioavailable forms, and potentially making a signifi-
cant contribution to algal nutrition. Our investigation shows that N2 fixation on living Macrocystis (mean
0.17 mol g−1 d−1) was more than 10 times greater than that associated with all but one of the 14 other
macroalgal species we studied. However, this rate is insufficient to contribute significantly to Macrocystis
growth. Instead, we found much higher rates of N2 fixation (up to 23 mol g−1 d−1) associated with
detrital or decomposing Macrocystis. Decomposition-related N2 fixation on Macrocystis is stimulated both
by anaerobic conditions and amendment with mannitol or phosphate, but is inhibited by light, and is
therefore, likely a heterotrophic process in contrast to the cyanobacterial N2 fixation reported for Codium
and Sargassum. Using O2 microsensors, we show that anaerobic conditions around the Macrocystis blade
are unlikely to develop in attached plants. Nitrogen fixation may be important in kelp rafts and wrack,
where it could contribute as much as a 4-fold increase in the availability of nitrogen to support microbial
and invertebrate communities.