Perspectives of the microbial carbon pump with special references to microbial respiration and ecological efficiency

Abstract

Abstract. Although respiration consumes fixed carbon and produce CO2, it provides energy for essential biological processes of an ecosystem, including the microbial carbon pump (MCP). In MCP-driving biotransformation of labile DOC to recalcitrant DOC (RDOC), microbial respiration provides the metabolic energy for environmental organic substrate sensing, cellular enzyme syntheses and catalytic processes such as uptake, secretion, modification, fixation and storage of carbon compounds. The MCP efficiency of a heterotrophic microorganism is thus related to its energy production efficiency and hence to its respiration efficiency. Anaerobically respiring microbes usually have lower energy production efficiency and lower energy-dependent carbon transformation efficiency, and consequently lower MCP efficiency at per cell level. This effect is masked by the phenomena that anoxic environments often store more organic matter. Here we point out that organic carbon preservation and RDOC production is different in mechanisms, and anaerobically respiring ecosystems could also have lower MCP ecological efficiency. Typical cases can be found in large river estuarine ecosystems. Due to strong terrigenous input of nutrients and organic matter, estuarine ecosystems usually experience intense heterotrophic respiration processes that rapidly consume dissolved oxygen, potentially producing hypoxic and anoxic zones in the water column. The lowered availability of dissolved oxygen and the excessive supply of nutrients such as nitrate from river input prompt enhanced anaerobic respiration processes. Thus, some nutrients may be consumed by anaerobically respiring heterotrophic microorganisms, instead of being utilized by phytoplankton for carbon fixation and primary production. In this situation, the ecological functioning of the estuarine ecosystem is altered and the ecological efficiency is lowered, as less carbon is fixed and less energy is produced. Ultimately this would have negatively impacts on the ecological functioning and efficiency of the MCP which depends on both organic carbon and energy supply.