Biodiversity of the nitrogen-fixing microbes of the Antarctic origin

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria can exist either in the form of symbiotic relationships with host plants or as free-living nitrogen fixers. In aquatic environments, blue - green alga is an important free-living nitrogen fixer.

Cyanobacteria are also one of very few groups of organisms that can convert inert atmospheric nitrogen into an organic form, such as nitrate or ammonia. The specific objectives of the project: • To isolate and characterize new N2-fixing and denitrification microorganisms and to detect new genetic information involved in nitrogen fixation and denitrification. • To study the biodiversity denitrification genes using a molecular approach • To localize the microhabitat of N2-fixing and denitrifying microorganisms in selected Antarctic ecosystems to focus isolation strategies on that size fraction.