Talk:Simultaneous Nitrogen-Fixation and Photosynthesis in Trichodesmium

Interesting topic! I thought your discussion about the unequal ratio between Photosystem I to Photosystem II, and how the phycobilins outnumber chlorophylls, was very interesting. I also think your first paragraph about nitrogen fixation was very strong. It was helpful to compare different microbes and their execution of photosynthesis or N-fixation to that of Trichodesmium. I also liked the section about dissolved phosphorous. I know this is a major problem in freshwater ecology, as it creates large algae blooms that overrun ecosystems, and human pollution and farming are huge sources of this phosphorous. It would be interesting to know if human production of phosphorous has effects so strong that it is reaching these oceanic tropical areas and Trichodesmium? Another point of interest in your paper is that Trichodesmium produces toxins. You could further discuss the mechanism of how these toxins affect other organisms. Does the toxin bioaccumulate? Also, don't forget to italicize the name of your microbe when appropriate, and add "Figure #" to you figures (and reference them in the text). Overall, a really cool topic and well-written! -binkleyc

Overall your page was very well organized and gave both biologically based background information as well as providing historical bases for the naming and discovery of Trichodesmium. Great transitional phrases indicating the ending of one section and connecting it to the following section. Maybe work on your hyperlinks/ references so that they actually connect to the sites that you’re referring to (i.e. Trichodesmium) and include the link in brackets in a similar manner to how you would in the code for the photos: example: [www.microbewiki.kenyon.edu Trichodesmium] and only the hyperlink should show. Subscripts need to be fixed as well, but I’m sure you’re well aware of that. Love the section on nitrogen fixation and the connections you make to other microbes with similar processes, and the figure helps to highlight these differences, but you should refer to it and talk about it in your text. Maybe add figures or representations of global warming or a picture of a symbiotic relationship between one of the organisms you mention like the copepods. Makes your page pop a bit more with visual aids to intrigue readers. Lastly, fix brackets around references; don’t know if they’re fully needed or not. Interesting topic and page!!! -TKG