Microbial production of toluene in oxygen minimum zone waters in the Humboldt Current System off Chile.

ABSTRACT: Expansion of oxygen minimum zones in the world's oceans is likely to enhance the production of anaerobic metabolites by marine microorganisms. Here we show that toluene is present throughout the year in shelf waters of the upwelling ecosystem off Concepción (36° S), Chile, and it is a product of microbial anaerobic metabolism. The intra-annual variability in toluene concentrations is consistent with seasonal variability in the strengths of suboxic equatorial and oxygenated subantarctic water masses. Laboratory incubations of oxygen minimum zone water showed microbial production of toluene in the absence of O₂. Toluene concentrations were elevated (up to 96 nM) in deeper O₂-depleted waters and followed a seasonal pattern in oceanographic conditions. There is evidence t

SUBMITTER: Srain BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9226047 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature