High rates of microbial carbon turnover in sediments in the deepest oceanic trench on Earth

Ronnie Glud, Frank Wenzhofer, Mathias Middelboe, Kazumasa Oguri, Robert Turnewitsch, Donald E. Canfield, Hiroshi Kitazato

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

246 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Microbes control the decomposition of organic matter inmarine sediments. Decomposition, in turn, contributes to oceanic nutrient regeneration and influences the preservation of organic carbon1. Generally, rates of benthic decomposition decline with increasing water depth, although given the vast extent of the abyss, deep-sea sediments are quantitatively important for the global carbon cycle2, 3. However, the deepest regions of the ocean have remained virtually unexplored4. Here, we present observations of microbial activity in sediments at Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench in the central west Pacific, which at almost 11,000¿m depth represents the deepest oceanic site on Earth. We used an autonomous micro-profiling system to assess benthic oxygen consumption rates. We show that although the presence of macrofauna is restricted at Challenger Deep, rates of biological consumption of oxygen are high, exceeding rates at a nearby 6,000-m-deep site by a factor of two. Consistently, analyses of sediments collected from the two sites reveal higher concentrations of microbial cells at Challenger Deep. Furthermore, analyses of sediment 210Pb profiles reveal relatively high sediment deposition in the trench. We conclude that the elevated deposition of organic matter at Challenger Deep maintains intensified microbial activity at the extreme pressures that characterize this environment.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)284-288
Number of pages4
JournalNature Geoscience
Volume6
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'High rates of microbial carbon turnover in sediments in the deepest oceanic trench on Earth'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this