Abstract. Oceanic bacterial communities process a major fraction of marine organiccarbon. A substantial portion of this carbon transformation occurs in themesopelagic zone, and a further fraction fuels bacteria in the bathypelagiczone. However, the capabilities and limitations of the diverse microbialcommunities at these depths to degrade high-molecular-weight (HMW) organicmatter are not well constrained. Here, we compared the responses of distinctmicrobial communities from North Atlantic epipelagic (0–200 m), mesopelagic(200–1000 m), and bathypelagic (1000–4000 m) waters at two open-oceanstations to the same input of diatom-derived HMW particulate and dissolvedorganic matter. Microbial community composition and functional responses tothe input of HMW organic matter – as measured by polysaccharide hydrolase,glucosidase, and peptidase activities – were very similar between thestations, which were separated by 1370 km but showed distinct patterns withdepth. Changes in microbial community composition coincided with changes inenzymatic activities: as bacterial community composition changed in responseto the addition of HMW organic matter, the rate and spectrum of enzymaticactivities increased. In epipelagic mesocosms, the spectrum of peptidaseactivities became especially broad and glucosidase activities were veryhigh, a pattern not seen at other depths, which, in contrast, were dominatedby leucine aminopeptidase and had much lower peptidase and glucosidase ratesin general. The spectrum of polysaccharide hydrolase activities was enhancedparticularly in epipelagic and mesopelagic mesocosms, with fewerenhancements in rates or spectrum in bathypelagic waters. The timing andmagnitude of these distinct functional responses to the same HMW organicmatter varied with depth. Our results highlight the importance of residencetimes at specific depths in determining the nature and quantity of organicmatter reaching the deep sea.
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Sharp contrasts between freshwater and marine microbial enzymatic capabilities, community composition, and DOM pools in a NE Greenland fjord
Increasing glacial discharge can lower salinity and alter organic matter (OM) supply in fjords, but assessing the biogeochemical effects of enhanced freshwater fluxes requires understanding of microbial interactions with OM across salinity gradients. Here, we examined microbial enzymatic capabilities—in bulk waters (nonsize‐fractionated) and on particles (≥ 1.6
- Award ID(s):
- 1736772
- PAR ID:
- 10458926
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Limnology and Oceanography
- Volume:
- 65
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0024-3590
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 77-95
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Summary The extent to which differences in microbial community structure result in variations in organic matter (OM) degradation is not well understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that distinct marine microbial communities from North Atlantic surface and bottom waters would exhibit varying compositional succession and functional shifts in response to the same pool of complex high molecular weight (HMW‐OM). We also hypothesized that microbial communities would produce a broader spectrum of enzymes upon exposure to HMW‐OM, indicating a greater potential to degrade these compounds than reflected by initial enzymatic activities. Our results show that community succession in amended mesocosms was congruent with cell growth, increased bacterial production and most notably, with substantial shifts in enzymatic activities. In all amended mesocosms, closely related taxa that were initially rare became dominant at time frames during which a broader spectrum of active enzymes were detected compared to initial timepoints, indicating a similar response among different communities. However, succession on the whole‐community level, and the rates, spectra and progression of enzymatic activities, reveal robust differences among distinct communities from discrete water masses. These results underscore the crucial role of rare bacterial taxa in ocean carbon cycling and the importance of bacterial community structure for HMW‐OM degradation.
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Abstract Freshwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet is routed to the ocean through narrow fjords along the coastline where it impacts ecosystems both within the fjord and on the continental shelf, regional circulation, and potentially the global overturning circulation. However, the timing of freshwater export is sensitive to the residence time of waters within glacial fjords. Here, we present evidence of seasonal freshwater storage in a tidewater glacial fjord using hydrographic and velocity data collected over 10 days during the summers of 2012 and 2013 in Saqqarleq (SQ), a midsize fjord in west Greenland. The data revealed a rapid freshening trend of −0.05 ± 0.01 and −0.04 ± 0.01 g kg −1 day −1 in 2012 and 2013, respectively, within the intermediate layer of the fjord (15–100 m) less than 2.5 km from the glacier terminus. The freshening trend is driven, in part, by the downward mixing of outflowing glacially modified water near the surface and increasingly stratifies the fjord from the surface downward over the summer melt season. We construct a box model that recreates the first-order dynamics of the fjord and describes freshwater storage as a balance between friction and density-driven exchange outside the fjord. The model can be used to diagnose the time scale for this balance to be reached, and for SQ we find a month lag between subglacial meltwater discharge and net freshwater export. These results indicate a fjord-induced delay in freshwater export to the ocean that should be represented in large-scale models seeking to understand the impact of Greenland freshwater on the regional climate system.more » « less
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