Reviews and syntheses: to the bottom of carbon processing at the seafloor
Organic carbon processing at the seafloor is studied by biogeochemists to quantify burial and respiration, by organic geochemists to elucidate compositional changes and by ecologists to follow carbon transfers within food webs. Here I review these disciplinary approaches and discuss where they a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | https://www.biogeosciences.net/15/413/2018/bg-15-413-2018.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818881788324347904 |
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| author | J. J. Middelburg J. J. Middelburg |
| author_facet | J. J. Middelburg J. J. Middelburg |
| author_sort | J. J. Middelburg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Organic carbon processing at the seafloor is studied by biogeochemists to
quantify burial and respiration, by organic geochemists to elucidate
compositional changes and by ecologists to follow carbon transfers within
food webs. Here I review these disciplinary approaches and discuss where they
agree and disagree. It will be shown that the biogeochemical approach
(ignoring the identity of organisms) and the ecological approach (focussing
on growth and biomass of organisms) are consistent on longer timescales.
Secondary production by microbes and animals is identified to potentially
impact the composition of sedimentary organic matter. Animals impact sediment
organic carbon processing by microbes in multiple ways: by governing organic
carbon supply to sediments, by aeration via bio-irrigation and by mixing
labile organic matter to deeper layers. I will present an inverted microbial
loop in which microbes profit from bioturbation rather than animals profiting
from microbial processing of otherwise lost dissolved organic resources.
Sediments devoid of fauna therefore function differently and are less
efficient in processing organic matter with the consequence that more organic
matter is buried and transferred from Vernadsky's biosphere to the geosphere. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T15:07:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-780b3425b86141ac8d91735324ba0cf8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T15:07:22Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biogeosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-780b3425b86141ac8d91735324ba0cf82022-12-21T20:16:24ZengCopernicus PublicationsBiogeosciences1726-41701726-41892018-01-011541342710.5194/bg-15-413-2018Reviews and syntheses: to the bottom of carbon processing at the seafloorJ. J. Middelburg0J. J. Middelburg1Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80 021, 3508 TA Utrecht, the Netherlands Invited contribution by Jack J. Middelburg, recipient of the EGU Vladimir Vernadsky Medal 2017. Organic carbon processing at the seafloor is studied by biogeochemists to quantify burial and respiration, by organic geochemists to elucidate compositional changes and by ecologists to follow carbon transfers within food webs. Here I review these disciplinary approaches and discuss where they agree and disagree. It will be shown that the biogeochemical approach (ignoring the identity of organisms) and the ecological approach (focussing on growth and biomass of organisms) are consistent on longer timescales. Secondary production by microbes and animals is identified to potentially impact the composition of sedimentary organic matter. Animals impact sediment organic carbon processing by microbes in multiple ways: by governing organic carbon supply to sediments, by aeration via bio-irrigation and by mixing labile organic matter to deeper layers. I will present an inverted microbial loop in which microbes profit from bioturbation rather than animals profiting from microbial processing of otherwise lost dissolved organic resources. Sediments devoid of fauna therefore function differently and are less efficient in processing organic matter with the consequence that more organic matter is buried and transferred from Vernadsky's biosphere to the geosphere.https://www.biogeosciences.net/15/413/2018/bg-15-413-2018.pdf |
| spellingShingle | J. J. Middelburg J. J. Middelburg Reviews and syntheses: to the bottom of carbon processing at the seafloor Biogeosciences |
| title | Reviews and syntheses: to the bottom of carbon processing at the seafloor |
| title_full | Reviews and syntheses: to the bottom of carbon processing at the seafloor |
| title_fullStr | Reviews and syntheses: to the bottom of carbon processing at the seafloor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reviews and syntheses: to the bottom of carbon processing at the seafloor |
| title_short | Reviews and syntheses: to the bottom of carbon processing at the seafloor |
| title_sort | reviews and syntheses to the bottom of carbon processing at the seafloor |
| url | https://www.biogeosciences.net/15/413/2018/bg-15-413-2018.pdf |
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