Abstract
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in small mammal droppings are potentially important to forest productivity. As we study this phenomenon, however, we continually find unknowns, such as bacteria that we cannot isolate and purify because we do not know which techniques to use. For example, we have recently observed acetylene reduction in the droppings of the tundra vole (
Microtus oeconomus) from St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, but we have failed three times to isolate the responsible bacterium. We hope this note will help stimulate parallel research on use of techniques under various circumstances.
Keywords
Laboratory methods,
nitrogen-fixing bacteria,
mammals (land)
Citation
Li, C.Y.; Maser, Chris. 1986. New and modified techniques for studying nitrogen-fixing bacteria in small mammal droppings. Res. Note PNW-RN-441. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 4 p