A Cross-System Comparison of Dark Carbon Fixation in Coastal Sediments.

ABSTRACT: Dark carbon fixation (DCF) by chemoautotrophic microorganisms can sustain food webs in the seafloor by local production of organic matter independent of photosynthesis. The process has received considerable attention in deep sea systems, such as hydrothermal vents, but the regulation, depth distribution, and global importance of coastal sedimentary DCF have not been systematically investigated. Here we surveyed eight coastal sediments by means of stable isotope probing (¹³C-DIC) combined with bacterial biomarkers (phospholipid-derived fatty acids) and compiled additional rates from literature into a global database. DCF rates in coastal sediments range from 0.07 to 36.30 mmol C m^-2 day^-1, and there is a linear relation between DCF and water depth. The CO

SUBMITTER: Vasquez-Cardenas D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7375125 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature