Forms and functions of inorganic carbon in the Jiaozhou Bay sediments

Inorganic carbon forms and their influencing factors, mutual transformation and contribution to carbon cycling in the Jiaozhou Bay sediments were discussed. The results show that inorganic carbon in sediments could be divided into five forms： NaCl form, NH3-H20 form, NaOH form, NH20H-HCl form and HCI form. Thereinto, NH2OH.HCl form and HCl form account for more than 70% of total inorganic carbon. There was close relationship among every form of inorganic carbon and their correlativity was clearly different with different sedimentary environment except the similar strong positive correlation among NH-OH-HCl form, HCl form and total inorganic carbon in all regions of the Jiaozhou Bay. All forms of inorganic carbon were influenced by organic carbon, pH, Eh, Es, nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments, but their influence had different characteristics in different regions. Every form of inorganic carbon transformed into each other continuously during early diagenesis of sediments and the common phenomenon was that NaCl form, NH3-H2O form, NaOH form and NH2OH-HCl form might transform into steady HCl form. NaCl form, NH3-H2O form, NaOH form and NH2OH-HCl form could participate in carbon recycle and they are potential carbon source; HCl form may be buried for a long time in sediments, and it may be one of the final resting places of atmospheric C02. Inorganic carbon which entered into sediments was about 4.98× 1010 g in the Jiaozhou Bay every year, in which about 1.47×1010 g of inorganic carbon might be buried for a long time and about 3.51 × 1010 g of inorganic carbon might return into seawater and take part in carbon recycling.

Mechanistic insights into the key marine dimethylsulfoniopropionate synthesis enzyme DsyB/DSYB

Marine algae and bacteria produce approximately eight billion tonnes of the organosulfur molecule dimethylsulfoniopropionate(DMSP)in Earth's surface oceans annually.DMSP is an antistress compound and,once released into the environment,a major nutrient,signaling molecule,and source of climate-active gases.The methionine transamination pathway for DMSP synthesis is used by most known DMSP-producing algae and bacteria.The S-directed S-adenosylmethionine(SAM)-dependent 4-methylthio-2-hydroxybutyrate(MTHB)S-methyltransferase,encoded by the dsyB/DSYB gene,is the key enzyme of this pathway,generating S-adenosylhomocysteine(SAH)and 4-dimethylsulfonio-2-hydroxybutyrate(DMSHB).DsyB/DSYB,present in most haptophyte and dinoflagellate algae with the highest known intracellular DMSP concentrations,is shown to be far more abundant and transcribed in marine environments than any other known S-methyltransferase gene in DMSP synthesis pathways.Furthermore,we demonstrate in vitro activity of the bacterial DsyB enzyme from Nisaea denitrificans and provide its crystal structure in complex with SAM and SAH-MTHB,which together provide the first important mechanistic insights into a DMSP synthesis enzyme.Structural and mutational analyses imply that DsyB adopts a proximity and desolvation mechanism for the methyl transfer reaction.Sequence analysis suggests that this mechanism may be common to all bacterial DsyB enzymes and also,importantly,eukaryotic DSYB enzymes from e.g.,algae that are the major DMSP producers in Earth's surface oceans.

The research of typical microbial functional group reveals a new oceanic carbon sequestration mechanism——A case of innovative method promoting scientific discovery

Marine microbes are major drivers of marine biogeochemical cycles and play critical roles in the ecosystems. Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria(AAPB) are an important bacterial functional group with capability of harvesting light energy and wide distribution, and appear to have a particular role in the ocean's carbon cycling. Yet the global pattern of AAPB distribution was controversial at the beginning of the 21 st century due to the defects of the AAPB enumeration methods. An advanced time-series observation-based infrared epifluorescence microscopy(TIREM) approach was established to amend the existing AAPB quantitative deviation and led to the accurate enumeration of AAPB in marine environments. The abundance of AAPB and AAPB% were higher in coastal and continental shelf waters than in oceanic waters, which does not support the idea that AAPB are specifically adapted to oligotrophic conditions due to photosynthesis in AAPB acting a supplement to their organic carbon respiration. Further investigation revealed that dependence of AAPB on dissolved organic carbon produced by phytoplankton(PDOC) may limit their competition and control AAPB distribution. So, the selection of carbon sources by AAPB indicated that they can effectively fractionate the carbon flow in the sea. Enlightened by these findings, the following studies on the interactions between marine microbes and DOC led to the discovery of a new mechanism of marine carbon sequestration—the Microbial Carbon Pump(MCP). The conceptual framework of MCP addresses the sources and mechanism of the vast DOC reservoir in the ocean and represents a breakthrough in the theory of ocean carbon sequestration.

Inspirations from the scientific discovery of the anammox bacteria: A classic example of how scientific principles can guide discovery and development

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation(anammox) is a relatively new pathway within the N cycle discovered in the late 1990 s. This eminent discovery not only modified the classical theory of biological metabolism and matter cycling, but also profoundly influenced our understanding of the energy sources for life. A new member of chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms capable of carbon fixation was found in the vast deep dark ocean. If the discovery of the chemosynthetic ecosystems in the deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments once challenged the old dogma "all living things depend on the sun for growth," the discovery of anammox bacteria that are widespread in anoxic environments fortifies the victory over this dogma. Anammox bacteria catalyze the oxidization of NH_4^+ by using NO_2^- as the terminal electron acceptor to produce N_2. Similar to the denitrifying microorganisms, anammox bacteria play a biogeochemical role of inorganic N removal from the environment. However, unlike heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria, anammox bacteria are chemolithoautotrophs that can generate transmembrane proton motive force, synthesize ATP molecules and further carry out CO_2 fixation through metabolic energy harvested from the anammox process. Although anammox bacteria and the subsequently found ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA), another very important group of N cycling microorganisms are both chemolithoautotrophs, AOA use ammonia rather than ammonium as the electron donor and O_2 as the terminal electron acceptor in their energy metabolism. Therefore, the ecological process of AOA mainly takes place in oxic seawater and sediments, while anammox bacteria are widely distributed in anoxic water and sediments, and even in some typical extreme marine environments such as the deep-sea hydrothermal vents and methane seeps. Studies have shown that the anammox process may be responsible for 30%–70% N_2 production in the ocean. In environmental engineering related to nitrogenous wastewater treatment, anammox provides a new technology with low energy consumption, low cost, and high efficiency that can achieve energy saving and emission reduction. However, the discovery of anammox bacteria is actually a hard-won achievement. Early in the 1960 s, the possibility of the anammox biogeochemical process was predicted to exist according to some marine geochemical data. Then in the 1970 s, the existence of anammox bacteria was further predicted via chemical reaction thermodynamic calculations. However, these microorganisms were not found in subsequent decades. What hindered the discovery of anammox bacteria, an important N cycling microbial group widespread in hypoxic and anoxic environments? What are the factors that finally led to their discovery? What are the inspirations that the analyses of these questions can bring to scientific research? This review article will analyze and elucidate the above questions by presenting the fundamental physiological and ecological characteristics of the marine anammox bacteria and the principles of scientific research.