Transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) distribution and in situ prokaryotic generation across the deep Mediterranean Sea and nearby North East Atlantic Ocean
Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) play a key role in ocean carbon export and structuring microbial habitats, but information on their distribution across different ocean basins and depths is scarce, particularly in the dark ocean. We measured TEP vertical distribution from the surface to bathyp...
Published in: | Progress in Oceanography |
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Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia
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ftedithcowan:oai:ro.ecu.edu.au:ecuworkspost2013-6959 2023-05-15T17:38:21+02:00 Transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) distribution and in situ prokaryotic generation across the deep Mediterranean Sea and nearby North East Atlantic Ocean Ortega-Retuerta, Eva Mazuecos, Ignacio P. Reche, Isabel Gasol, Josep M. Álvarez-Salgado, Xosé A. Álvarez, Marta Montero, María F. Arístegui, Javier 2019-01-01T08:00:00Z https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/5954 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.03.002 unknown Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/5954 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.03.002 subscription content Research outputs 2014 to 2021 Biological carbon pump Deep ocean Mediterranean Sea Particulate organic carbon Prokaryotes Transparent exopolymer particles Marine Biology text 2019 ftedithcowan https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.03.002 2022-03-19T23:50:43Z Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) play a key role in ocean carbon export and structuring microbial habitats, but information on their distribution across different ocean basins and depths is scarce, particularly in the dark ocean. We measured TEP vertical distribution from the surface to bathypelagic waters in an east-to-west transect across the Mediterranean Sea (MedSea) and the adjacent North East Atlantic Ocean (NEA), and explored their physical and biological drivers. TEP ranged from 0.6 to 81.7 µg XG eq L −1 , with the highest values in epipelagic waters above the deep chlorophyll maximum, and in areas near the Gibraltar and Sicily Straits. TEP were significantly related to particulate organic carbon (POC) in all basins and depth layers (epipelagic vs. deep), but the contribution of TEP to POC was higher in the NEA (85%, 79% and 67% in epi-, meso- and bathypelagic waters, respectively) than in the MedSea (from 53% to 62% in epipelagic waters, and from 45% to 48% in meso- and bathypelagic waters), coinciding with higher carbon to nitrogen particulate organic matter ratios in the NEA. The TEP connectivity between epipelagic waters and mesopelagic waters was less straightforward than between mesopelagic waters and bathypelagic waters, with a 23% and 55% of the variance in the relationship between layers explained respectively. Prokaryotes were found to be a likely net source of TEP as inferred by the significant direct relationship observed between prokaryotic heterotrophic abundance and TEP. This assumption was confirmed using experimental incubations, where prokaryotes produced TEP in concentrations ranging from 0.7 (Western Mediterranean, bathypelagic) to 232 (Western Mediterranean, mesopelagic) µg XG eq. L −1 day −1 . © 2019 Elsevier Ltd Text North East Atlantic Edith Cowan University (ECU, Australia): Research Online Progress in Oceanography 173 180 191 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Edith Cowan University (ECU, Australia): Research Online |
op_collection_id |
ftedithcowan |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Biological carbon pump Deep ocean Mediterranean Sea Particulate organic carbon Prokaryotes Transparent exopolymer particles Marine Biology |
spellingShingle |
Biological carbon pump Deep ocean Mediterranean Sea Particulate organic carbon Prokaryotes Transparent exopolymer particles Marine Biology Ortega-Retuerta, Eva Mazuecos, Ignacio P. Reche, Isabel Gasol, Josep M. Álvarez-Salgado, Xosé A. Álvarez, Marta Montero, María F. Arístegui, Javier Transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) distribution and in situ prokaryotic generation across the deep Mediterranean Sea and nearby North East Atlantic Ocean |
topic_facet |
Biological carbon pump Deep ocean Mediterranean Sea Particulate organic carbon Prokaryotes Transparent exopolymer particles Marine Biology |
description |
Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) play a key role in ocean carbon export and structuring microbial habitats, but information on their distribution across different ocean basins and depths is scarce, particularly in the dark ocean. We measured TEP vertical distribution from the surface to bathypelagic waters in an east-to-west transect across the Mediterranean Sea (MedSea) and the adjacent North East Atlantic Ocean (NEA), and explored their physical and biological drivers. TEP ranged from 0.6 to 81.7 µg XG eq L −1 , with the highest values in epipelagic waters above the deep chlorophyll maximum, and in areas near the Gibraltar and Sicily Straits. TEP were significantly related to particulate organic carbon (POC) in all basins and depth layers (epipelagic vs. deep), but the contribution of TEP to POC was higher in the NEA (85%, 79% and 67% in epi-, meso- and bathypelagic waters, respectively) than in the MedSea (from 53% to 62% in epipelagic waters, and from 45% to 48% in meso- and bathypelagic waters), coinciding with higher carbon to nitrogen particulate organic matter ratios in the NEA. The TEP connectivity between epipelagic waters and mesopelagic waters was less straightforward than between mesopelagic waters and bathypelagic waters, with a 23% and 55% of the variance in the relationship between layers explained respectively. Prokaryotes were found to be a likely net source of TEP as inferred by the significant direct relationship observed between prokaryotic heterotrophic abundance and TEP. This assumption was confirmed using experimental incubations, where prokaryotes produced TEP in concentrations ranging from 0.7 (Western Mediterranean, bathypelagic) to 232 (Western Mediterranean, mesopelagic) µg XG eq. L −1 day −1 . © 2019 Elsevier Ltd |
format |
Text |
author |
Ortega-Retuerta, Eva Mazuecos, Ignacio P. Reche, Isabel Gasol, Josep M. Álvarez-Salgado, Xosé A. Álvarez, Marta Montero, María F. Arístegui, Javier |
author_facet |
Ortega-Retuerta, Eva Mazuecos, Ignacio P. Reche, Isabel Gasol, Josep M. Álvarez-Salgado, Xosé A. Álvarez, Marta Montero, María F. Arístegui, Javier |
author_sort |
Ortega-Retuerta, Eva |
title |
Transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) distribution and in situ prokaryotic generation across the deep Mediterranean Sea and nearby North East Atlantic Ocean |
title_short |
Transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) distribution and in situ prokaryotic generation across the deep Mediterranean Sea and nearby North East Atlantic Ocean |
title_full |
Transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) distribution and in situ prokaryotic generation across the deep Mediterranean Sea and nearby North East Atlantic Ocean |
title_fullStr |
Transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) distribution and in situ prokaryotic generation across the deep Mediterranean Sea and nearby North East Atlantic Ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Transparent exopolymer particle (TEP) distribution and in situ prokaryotic generation across the deep Mediterranean Sea and nearby North East Atlantic Ocean |
title_sort |
transparent exopolymer particle (tep) distribution and in situ prokaryotic generation across the deep mediterranean sea and nearby north east atlantic ocean |
publisher |
Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/5954 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.03.002 |
genre |
North East Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North East Atlantic |
op_source |
Research outputs 2014 to 2021 |
op_relation |
https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/5954 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.03.002 |
op_rights |
subscription content |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2019.03.002 |
container_title |
Progress in Oceanography |
container_volume |
173 |
container_start_page |
180 |
op_container_end_page |
191 |
_version_ |
1766138765786480640 |