Elucidation of the key processes of carbon and nitrogen cycles

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: New Ocean Paradigm on Its Biogeochemistry, Ecosystem and Sustainable Use
• Project/Area Number: 24121005
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Complex systems
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: OGAWA Hiroshi 東京大学, 大気海洋研究所, 准教授 (50260518)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 高橋 一生 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 准教授 (00301581) ; 古谷 研 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 教授 (30143548)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): FUKUDA Hideki 東京大学, 大気海洋研究所, 准教授 (30451892)
• Research Collaborator: SHIOZAKI Takuhei ; KODAMA Taketoshi ; TANITA Iwao ; YOKOKAWA Taichi ; YAMADA Namiha ; SAOTOME Nobue ; Uchimiya Mariou ; NAKAMURA Kenichi ; HORII Sachiko ; SAKAI Akira
• Project Period (FY): 2012-06-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 生元素動態 / 海洋物質循環 / 生物地球化学 / 海洋生態学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In order to elucidate the key processes of carbon and nitrogen cycles in the Pacific Ocean, we focused on subtropical areas where our understanding of the maintenance mechanism of primary production is largely insufficient, and carried out the research based on joint cruise by the large research vessel. As a result, it has been clear that nitrogen fixation as a new production contributes greatly to the biological production of subtropical areas. On the other hand, as regeneration production, carbon flux from net primary production to heterotrophic bacterial community and the importance of ammonium excretion by zooplankton has also been clarified. In other words, it became clear that the biological production of subtropical areas has a dual structure consisting of a part controlled by nitrogen fixation (new production) and a part maintained in regeneration production.

Free Research Field

生物地球化学