Spatial Patterns of Planktonic Fungi Indicate Their Potential Contributions to Biological Carbon Pump and Organic Matter Remineralization in the Water Column of South China Sea.

ABSTRACT: Fungi have long been known to be dynamic in coastal water columns with multiple trophic modes. However, little is known about their interactions with abiotic and biotic components, contribution to the biological carbon pump (BCP), and organic matter remineralization in the oceanic water column. In this study, we investigated how fungi vary spatially and how their variations relate to that of bacteria in the water column of the South China Sea (SCS). Fungi were about three orders less prevalent than bacteria, and the main factors influencing their distribution were depth, temperature, and distance from the sites of riverine inputs. The decline in the abundance of fungi with depth was less steep than that of bacteria. Correlation tests revealed a strong positive association between the abund

SUBMITTER: Sen K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10304542 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature