Direct observations of microbial community succession on sinking marine particles.

ABSTRACT: Microbial community dynamics on sinking particles control the amount of carbon that reaches the deep ocean and the length of time that carbon is stored, with potentially profound impacts on Earth's climate. A mechanistic understanding of the controls on sinking particle distributions has been hindered by limited depth- and time-resolved sampling and methods that cannot distinguish individual particles. Here, we analyze microbial communities on nearly 400 individual sinking particles in conjunction with more conventional composite particle samples to determine how particle colonization and community assembly might control carbon sequestration in the deep ocean. We observed community succession with corresponding changes in microbial metabolic potential on the larger sinking particles transp

SUBMITTER: Stephens BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10811735 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature