Cyanobacteria and the relation with Nitrate?

[Aqua Splendor]

Hello, so despite my research there's an element I'm not understanding with:

How Nitrate help Cyanobacteria?
I can't understand where the bacteria need it for growth, I'm confused.

To build up one of its membrane layers? To promote the thylakoid?

Obviously, it depends on the strain of cyanobacteria but I'm referring to any common one we found in a reef tank aquarium.

Thank you to anyone who has info on that.

 

[Courtney Aldrich]

Hey Aqua Splendor, nitrate is used by cyanobacteria as a source of nitrogen for growth (to help make amino acids and other building blocks of life) and as a terminal electron-reductant in photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria have nitrate transporters to take up nitrate from the surrounding water and a set of enzymes to sequentially reduce nitrate to ammonia, which is then incorporated into glutamate (a common nitrogen donor in biochemistry). I've attached a paper, entitled "Photosynthetic nitrate assimilation in cyanobacteria" if you want to learn more.

au revoir

 

[Aqua Splendor]

Omg, I couldn't ask for a better answer, thx!
It's way beyond my comprehension but, from what I understood, it was very interesting and the role/relation/need is more "simpler" than I thought.

While reading this, I was wondering if it could be different (on average) from oceanic cyanobacteria.
Anyways, too much interrogation

Merci beaucoup!
ps: I think you meant ammonium instead of ammonia?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

ps: I think you meant ammonium instead of ammonia?

I suspect you are looking for a high level answer, so I'll give it. Ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4+) are in constant and nearly immediate equilibrium. Trying to distinguish one from the other is generally not useful for a reef hobbyist. If you have one, you have the other, with the ratio just fixed by pH.

The nitty gritty answer as to whether the first product actually formed in enzymatic reduction of nitrite to ammonia is much more involved, and I suspect, is not of actual interest. If it is, we can certainly try to find the answer in the scientific literature, but the answer holds no practical value to a reef aquarium.

 

[Aqua Splendor]

I suspect you are looking for a high level answer, so I'll give it. Ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4+) are in constant and nearly immediate equilibrium. Trying to distinguish one from the other is generally not useful for a reef hobbyist. If you have one, you have the other, with the ratio just fixed by pH.

The nitty gritty answer as to whether the first product actually formed in enzymatic reduction of nitrite to ammonia is much more involved, and I suspect, is not of actual interest. If it is, we can certainly try to find the answer in the scientific literature, but the answer holds no practical value to a reef aquarium.

I have nothing to say except this: I love you haha