Major contribution of autotrophy to microbial carbon cycling in the deep North Atlantic's interior
- Author(s)
- Thomas Reinthaler, Hendrik M. van Aken, Gerhard Herndl
- Abstract
Current estimates point to a mismatch of particulate organic carbon supply derived from the surface ocean and the microbial organic carbon demand in the meso- and bathypelagic realm. Based on recent findings that chemoautotrophic Crenarchaeota are abundant in the mesopelagic zone, we quantified dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) fixation in the meso- and bathypelagic North Atlantic and compared it with heterotrophic microbial activity. Measuring C-14-bicarbonate fixation and H-3-leucine incorporation revealed that microbial DIC fixation is substantial in the mesopelagic water masses, ranging from 0.1 to 56.7 iimol C m(-3) d(-1), and is within the same order of magnitude as heterotrophic microbial activity. Integrated over the dark ocean's water column, DIC fixation ranged from 1-2.5 mmol C m(-2) d(-1), indicating that chemoautotrophy in the dark ocean represents a significant source of autochthonously produced 'new organic carbon' in the ocean's interior amounting to about 15-53% of the phytoplankton export production. Hence, chemoautotrophic DIC fixation in the oxygenated meso- and bathypelagic water column of the North Atlantic might substantially contribute to the organic carbon demand of the deep-water microbial food web.
- Organisation(s)
- External organisation(s)
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
- Journal
- Deep-Sea Research. Part 2: Topical Studies in Oceanography
- Volume
- 57
- Pages
- 1572-1580
- No. of pages
- 9
- ISSN
- 0967-0645
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.02.023
- Publication date
- 2010
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106026 Ecosystem research, 105105 Geochemistry, 106022 Microbiology
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 14 - Life Below Water
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/386cad1c-b34a-4ae8-bb76-4601cb8e5a1d