Prokaryotic carbon utilization in the dark ocean: growth efficiency, leucine-to-carbon conversion factors, and their relation

Author(s)
Federico Baltar, Javier Aristegui, Josep M. Gasol, Gerhard Herndl
Abstract

Experiments were conducted in the mesopelagic subtropical northeast Atlantic Ocean to determine the range of variability in the prokaryotic leucine-to-carbon conversion factor (CF), and prokaryotic growth efficiency (PGE). The way prokaryotic heterotrophic production (PHP) is calculated directly influences PGE (variations of PGE between 1 and 31% were found for a single sample). The empirically obtained deep-water CFs showed a 7-fold variability (0.13 to 0.85 kg C mol(-1) Leu), but were always lower than the theoretical CF of 1.55 kg C mol(-1) Leu assuming no isotope dilution. Empirically determined CFs were highly correlated to PGE, suggesting that both parameters are representations of the same basic metabolic processes. Overall, the PGEs obtained in this study suggest that mesopelagic prokaryotic assemblages can sometimes be as important in carbon processing as their epipelagic counterparts.

Organisation(s)
External organisation(s)
Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Journal
Aquatic Microbial Ecology
Volume
60
Pages
227-232
No. of pages
6
ISSN
0948-3055
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3354/ame01422
Publication date
2010
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
106022 Microbiology, 106047 Animal ecology
Portal url
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/prokaryotic-carbon-utilization-in-the-dark-ocean-growth-efficiency-leucinetocarbon-conversion-factors-and-their-relation(e205e09d-a2f0-4902-8e18-38a32ee44d52).html