{
  "abstract": "Dinitrogen (N₂) fixation supplies reactive nitrogen to the ocean, and non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs (NCDs) are increasingly recognized as contributors. Marine particles have been theorized as hotspots where low oxygen and labile carbon favor N₂ fixation by NCDs, but empirical proof is lacking. Here, we show that particle-NCD associations in a controlled model where Vibrio diazotrophicus colonizes laboratory-generated diatom aggregates. Using nitrogenase (NifH) immunolabeling and a respiration probe, we map cell activity across particles, while bulk 15 N₂ tracing quantifies N₂ fixation and membrane-inlet mass spectrometry O₂/Ar tracks respiration. We find a clear metabolic succession: respiring cells represented 50% of total cells at 12 h, followed by an increase at 24 h in NifH-positive cells (30%), with higher relative abundances observed toward particle interiors. NCDs are up to 1500 times more concentrated in particles than in the surrounding seawater, with nitrogenase-expressing cells showing a 1.5-fold higher relative abundance in particle cores compared with the peripheries after 24 h without bioavailable nitrogen. The spatial arrangement of V.diazotrophicus within aggregates is associated with conditions favourable for N₂ fixation in particle interiors, supporting the view that particles act as micro-niches for heterotrophic diazotrophy. Our results provide empirical evidence that the spatial distribution of NCDs within particles influences their nitrogen fixation potential.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Arthur Coët"
    },
    {
      "name": "Olivier Grosso"
    },
    {
      "name": "Nicolas Brouilly"
    },
    {
      "name": "Pierre Ronceray"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mar Benavides"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cj06qj0r3p0bq.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s42003-026-10971-w",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "cj06qj0r3p0bq",
  "issns": [
    "2399-3642"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05762672v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "hal",
      "0.sde"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1910|Marine and coastal ecosystems"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213252595",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-10971-w_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-16",
  "publisher": "Nature Publishing Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cj06qj0r3p0bq.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:40Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05762672",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05762672v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "hal:0.sde",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Micro-scale organization of non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs drives nitrogen fixation in marine particles",
  "title_text": "Micro-scale organization of non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs drives nitrogen fixation in marine particles",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:40Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cj06qj0r3p0bq",
  "venue": "Communications Biology",
  "versions": []
}