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Is the Heterocyst the Site of Nitrogen Fixation in Blue-green Algae?

Nature volume 220, pages 810–812 (1968)Cite this article

Abstract

MANY blue-green algae produce a characteristic type of cell with rather hyaline contents and a thick, refractive wall (Fig. 1) to which the name heterocyst has been given. Heterocysts are formed from vegetative cells only in filamentous forms. It has been suggested that they are reproductive structures1, are involved in spore formation2,3 or that they are storage cells4, but on the whole the various explanations for their function have been unconvincing, and in reviewing the situation in 1951 Fritsch described them as a “botanical enigma”5.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Westfield College, University of London,

    P. FAY, W. D. P. STEWART, A. E. WALSBY & G. E. FOGG

Authors
  1. P. FAY
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  2. W. D. P. STEWART
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  3. A. E. WALSBY
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  4. G. E. FOGG
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FAY, P., STEWART, W., WALSBY, A. et al. Is the Heterocyst the Site of Nitrogen Fixation in Blue-green Algae?. Nature 220, 810–812 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/220810b0

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