radiocarbon signature of microorganisms in the mesopelagic ocean

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 106; no. 16; pp. 6513 - 6518
• Main Authors: Hansman, Roberta L, Griffin, Sheila, Watson, Jordan T, Druffel, Ellen R.M, Ingalls, Anitra E, Pearson, Ann, Aluwihare, Lihini I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 21.04.2009; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Archaea; Archaea - metabolism; Bacteria; Bacteria - metabolism; Biological Sciences; Biomarkers; Carbon; Carbon Radioisotopes; Complex Systems: From Chemistry to Systems Biology Special Feature; Crenarchaeota; Dissolved organic carbon; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Hawaii; Marine; Microorganisms; Molecular Sequence Data; Nitrates - analysis; Nitrites - analysis; Oceans; Oceans and Seas; Oxygen - analysis; Physical Sciences; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Radiocarbon; Radiometric Dating; Sample Size; Sea water; Signatures; Studies; Water Microbiology; Hawaii; Pacific Northwest; IN, North Pacific, North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

Several lines of evidence indicate that microorganisms in the meso- and bathypelagic ocean are metabolically active and respiring carbon. In addition, growing evidence suggests that archaea are fixing inorganic carbon in this environment. However, direct quantification of the contribution from deep...