The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO 2 ocean
Abstract Gelatinous zooplankton are increasingly recognized to play a key role in the ocean's biological carbon pump. Appendicularians, a class of pelagic tunicates, are among the most abundant gelatinous plankton in the ocean, but it is an open question how their contribution to carbon export...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17020 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.17020 |
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crwiley:10.1111/gcb.17020 2024-06-02T08:12:38+00:00 The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO 2 ocean Taucher, Jan Lechtenbörger, Anna Katharina Bouquet, Jean‐Marie Spisla, Carsten Boxhammer, Tim Minutolo, Fabrizio Bach, Lennart Thomas Lohbeck, Kai T. Sswat, Michael Dörner, Isabel Ismar‐Rebitz, Stefanie M. H. Thompson, Eric M. Riebesell, Ulf Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Norges Forskningsråd 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17020 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.17020 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Global Change Biology volume 30, issue 1 ISSN 1354-1013 1365-2486 journal-article 2023 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17020 2024-05-03T11:54:02Z Abstract Gelatinous zooplankton are increasingly recognized to play a key role in the ocean's biological carbon pump. Appendicularians, a class of pelagic tunicates, are among the most abundant gelatinous plankton in the ocean, but it is an open question how their contribution to carbon export might change in the future. Here, we conducted an experiment with large volume in situ mesocosms (~55–60 m 3 and 21 m depth) to investigate how ocean acidification (OA) extreme events affect food web structure and carbon export in a natural plankton community, particularly focusing on the keystone species Oikopleura dioica , a globally abundant appendicularian. We found a profound influence of O. dioica on vertical carbon fluxes, particularly during a short but intense bloom period in the high CO 2 treatment, during which carbon export was 42%–64% higher than under ambient conditions. This elevated flux was mostly driven by an almost twofold increase in O. dioica biomass under high CO 2 . This rapid population increase was linked to enhanced fecundity (+20%) that likely resulted from physiological benefits of low pH conditions. The resulting competitive advantage of O. dioica resulted in enhanced grazing on phytoplankton and transfer of this consumed biomass into sinking particles. Using a simple carbon flux model for O. dioica , we estimate that high CO 2 doubled the carbon flux of discarded mucous houses and fecal pellets, accounting for up to 39% of total carbon export from the ecosystem during the bloom. Considering the wide geographic distribution of O. dioica , our findings suggest that appendicularians may become an increasingly important vector of carbon export with ongoing OA. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ocean acidification Wiley Online Library Global Change Biology 30 1 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
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English |
description |
Abstract Gelatinous zooplankton are increasingly recognized to play a key role in the ocean's biological carbon pump. Appendicularians, a class of pelagic tunicates, are among the most abundant gelatinous plankton in the ocean, but it is an open question how their contribution to carbon export might change in the future. Here, we conducted an experiment with large volume in situ mesocosms (~55–60 m 3 and 21 m depth) to investigate how ocean acidification (OA) extreme events affect food web structure and carbon export in a natural plankton community, particularly focusing on the keystone species Oikopleura dioica , a globally abundant appendicularian. We found a profound influence of O. dioica on vertical carbon fluxes, particularly during a short but intense bloom period in the high CO 2 treatment, during which carbon export was 42%–64% higher than under ambient conditions. This elevated flux was mostly driven by an almost twofold increase in O. dioica biomass under high CO 2 . This rapid population increase was linked to enhanced fecundity (+20%) that likely resulted from physiological benefits of low pH conditions. The resulting competitive advantage of O. dioica resulted in enhanced grazing on phytoplankton and transfer of this consumed biomass into sinking particles. Using a simple carbon flux model for O. dioica , we estimate that high CO 2 doubled the carbon flux of discarded mucous houses and fecal pellets, accounting for up to 39% of total carbon export from the ecosystem during the bloom. Considering the wide geographic distribution of O. dioica , our findings suggest that appendicularians may become an increasingly important vector of carbon export with ongoing OA. |
author2 |
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Norges Forskningsråd |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Taucher, Jan Lechtenbörger, Anna Katharina Bouquet, Jean‐Marie Spisla, Carsten Boxhammer, Tim Minutolo, Fabrizio Bach, Lennart Thomas Lohbeck, Kai T. Sswat, Michael Dörner, Isabel Ismar‐Rebitz, Stefanie M. H. Thompson, Eric M. Riebesell, Ulf |
spellingShingle |
Taucher, Jan Lechtenbörger, Anna Katharina Bouquet, Jean‐Marie Spisla, Carsten Boxhammer, Tim Minutolo, Fabrizio Bach, Lennart Thomas Lohbeck, Kai T. Sswat, Michael Dörner, Isabel Ismar‐Rebitz, Stefanie M. H. Thompson, Eric M. Riebesell, Ulf The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO 2 ocean |
author_facet |
Taucher, Jan Lechtenbörger, Anna Katharina Bouquet, Jean‐Marie Spisla, Carsten Boxhammer, Tim Minutolo, Fabrizio Bach, Lennart Thomas Lohbeck, Kai T. Sswat, Michael Dörner, Isabel Ismar‐Rebitz, Stefanie M. H. Thompson, Eric M. Riebesell, Ulf |
author_sort |
Taucher, Jan |
title |
The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO 2 ocean |
title_short |
The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO 2 ocean |
title_full |
The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO 2 ocean |
title_fullStr |
The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO 2 ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
The appendicularian Oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high CO 2 ocean |
title_sort |
appendicularian oikopleura dioica can enhance carbon export in a high co 2 ocean |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17020 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcb.17020 |
genre |
Ocean acidification |
genre_facet |
Ocean acidification |
op_source |
Global Change Biology volume 30, issue 1 ISSN 1354-1013 1365-2486 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17020 |
container_title |
Global Change Biology |
container_volume |
30 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1800759146188898304 |