Vertically stratified carbon fixation and coupling processes in deep-sea sediment.

ABSTRACT: Deep-sea sediments represent a vast yet underexplored reservoir of microbial carbon fixation, playing a critical role in global carbon cycling. However, the vertical distribution of carbon-fixing microorganisms, metabolic pathways, and the underlying energy sources and environmental drivers remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated microbial carbon fixation and associated energy metabolism in South China Sea (SCS) sediment across 0-690 cm depth. Our findings revealed that dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and ammonium (NH₄⁺) concentrations were key environmental drivers of carbon fixation and linked redox processes. Carbon fixation gene diversity increased with sediment depth, while the network complexity of functional genes and taxa involved in these processes dec

SUBMITTER: Shi H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12766754 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature