 The exact mechanism through which photosynthetic products of the bacteria are utilized by the host is still unclear.A 1994 study was conducted in the Gulf of Aqaba in which levels of colonial cyanobacteria were measured alongside oceanic nitrogen levels.Detection and peaking numbers of the consortia of heterotrophs ("Ornithocercus") and autotrophs (cyanobacteria) at times of nitrogen limitation led the authors to propose that the hosts may be providing an anaerobic microenvironment in which the cyanobacteria can efficiently fix nitrogen.