Impact of hydrostatic pressure on organic carbon cycling of the deep-sea microbiome

Amano, C.; Zhao, Z.; Sintes, E.; Reinthaler, T.; Stefanschitz, J.; Kisadur, M.; Utsumi, M.; Herndl, G. J.

doi:10.1101/2022.03.31.486587

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.03.31.486587

Impact of hydrostatic pressure on organic carbon cycling of the deep-sea microbiome

Amano, C.·Zhao, Z.·Sintes, E.·Reinthaler, T.·Stefanschitz, J.·Kisadur, M.·Utsumi, M.·Herndl, G. J.

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Abstract

Deep-sea microbial communities are exposed to high hydrostatic pressure. While some of these deep-sea prokaryotes are adapted to high-pressure conditions, the contribution of piezophilic (i.e., pressure-loving) and piezotolerant prokaryotes to the total deep-sea prokaryotic community remains unknown. Here we show that the metabolic activity of prokaryotic communities is increasingly inhibited with increasing hydrostatic pressure. At 4,000 m depth, the bulk heterotrophic prokaryotic activity under in situ hydrostatic pressure was only about one-third of that measured on the same community at atmospheric pressure conditions. Only [~]5% of the bathypelagic prokaryotic community are piezophilic while [~]85% of the deep-sea prokaryotes are piezotolerant. A small fraction ([~]10%) of the deep-sea prokaryotes is piezosensitive (mainly members of Bacteroidetes, Alteromonas) exhibiting specific survival strategies at meso- and bathypelagic depths. These piezosensitive bacteria elevated their activity by more than 100-fold upon depressurization. Hence, the consistently higher bulk metabolic activity of the deep-sea prokaryotic community measured upon depressurization is due to a rather small fraction of the prokaryotic community. Overall, the heterotrophic prokaryotic activity in the deep-sea is substantially lower than hitherto assumed with major impacts on the oceanic carbon cycling.

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Amano, C., Zhao, Z., Sintes, E., Reinthaler, T., Stefanschitz, J., Kisadur, M., Utsumi, M., Herndl, G. J.. 2022-03-31. Impact of hydrostatic pressure on organic carbon cycling of the deep-sea microbiome. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.31.486587

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