Dose-dependent regulation of microbial activity on sinking particles by polyunsaturated aldehydes: Implications for the carbon cycle
Abstract
Phytoplankton live in the sunlit surface waters of the ocean, and through photosynthesis they convert atmospherically derived carbon dioxide into their biomass. A fraction of this biomass sinks into the darker depths where it is colonized by bacteria that turn it back into carbon dioxide through respiration. Thus, phytoplankton–bacteria interactions effectively transport carbon dioxide from the atmosphere deep into the ocean. We discovered that the biomass of some phytoplankton contains bioactive molecules that stimulate these associated bacteria, resulting in respiration of phytoplankton biomass at shallower depths. Given that the ocean mixes gradually over time, carbon dioxide released by bacteria at shallower depths returns to the surface more quickly and thereby is “sequestered” from the atmosphere for a shorter duration.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 27, 2015
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1422664112
Entities
People
- Benjamin A. S. Van Mooy
- Bethanie R. Edwards
- Kay D. Bidle
Organizations
- Division of Ocean Sciences
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Office of Naval Research
- Rutgers University
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution