Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is essential to balance the metabolic demands of four dominant North‐Atlantic deep‐sea sponges.

Bart, Martijn C. , Mueller, Benjamin , Rombouts, Titus, Ven, Clea, Tompkins, Gabrielle J., Osinga, Ronald, Brussaard, Corina P.D., MacDonald, Barry, Engel, Anja , Rapp, Hans Tore and Goeij, Jasper M. (2021) Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is essential to balance the metabolic demands of four dominant North‐Atlantic deep‐sea sponges. Open Access Limnology and Oceanography, 66 . pp. 925-938. DOI 10.1002/lno.11652.

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Abstract

Sponges are ubiquitous components of various deep‐sea habitats, including cold water coral reefs, and form deep‐sea sponge grounds. Although the deep sea is generally considered to be a food‐limited environment, these ecosystems are known to be hotspots of biodiversity and carbon cycling. To assess the role of sponges in the carbon cycling of deep‐sea ecosystems, we studied the carbon budgets of six dominant deep‐sea sponges of different phylogenetic origin, with various growth forms and hosting distinct associated microbial communities, in an ex situ aquarium setup. Additionally, we determined biomass metrics—planar surface area, volume, wet weight, dry weight (DW), ash‐free dry weight, and organic carbon (C) content—and conversion factors for all species. Oxygen (O2) removal rates averaged 3.3 ± 2.8 μmol O2 g DWsponge h−1 (mean ± SD), live particulate (bacterio‐ and phytoplankton) organic carbon removal rates averaged 0.30 ± 0.39 μmol C g DWsponge h−1 and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal rates averaged 18.70 ± 25.02 μmol C g DWsponge h−1. Carbon mass balances were calculated for four species and revealed that the sponges acquired 1.3–6.6 times the amount of carbon needed to sustain their minimal respiratory demands. These results indicate that irrespective of taxonomic class, growth form, and abundance of microbial symbionts, DOC is responsible for over 90% of the total net organic carbon removal of deep‐sea sponges and allows them to sustain themselves in otherwise food‐limited environments on the ocean floor.

Document Type: Article
Funder compliance: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/679849
Keywords: North Atlantic deep-sea sponges; dissolved organic carbon; DOC
Dewey Decimal Classification: 500 Natural Sciences and Mathematics > 570 Life sciences; biology
Research affiliation: OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB2 Marine Biogeochemistry > FB2-BI Biological Oceanography
Main POF Topic: PT6: Marine Life
Refereed: Yes
Open Access Journal?: No
Publisher: ASLO (Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography), Wiley
Projects: SponGES
Date Deposited: 08 Dec 2020 11:51
Last Modified: 07 Feb 2024 15:37
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/51258

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