In situ measurement of dark carbon fixation at the deep-sea floor and its importances in the deep-sea benthic ecosystem

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24540504
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Stratigraphy/Paleontology
• Research Institution: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: NOMAKI Hidetaka 独立行政法人海洋研究開発機構, 生物地球化学研究分野, 主任研究員 (90435834)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 深海生態系 / 物質循環 / 炭酸固定 / 現場培養実験 / 同位体トレーサー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated on the importance of chemolithoautotrophic carbon production at the deep-sea floor by performing in situ incubation experiments. The measured carbon fixation rates varied greatly among experimental sites. The carbon fixation rates were not correlated with the abundances of some prokaryotes which are expected to contribute carbon fixation at the deep-sea floor. The highest carbon fixation rate measured at bathyal Sagami Bay corresponded to 1 to 2 % of phytodetritus input rate to the seafloor. Considering the fact that sinking organic matters in the deep-sea mostly consist of refractory organic matter, the organic matter produced by chemolithoautotrophic microbes plays substantial roles in the deep-sea benthic ecosystems at Sagami Bay.

Free Research Field

深海生態学