Work

Dark carbon fixation is a common process in the water column of stratified boreal lakes

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: CO 2 fixation (i.e. primary production) is a key function of all ecosystems, providing the carbon and energy that fuel the entire food web. It also plays an important role in mitigating climate change as CO 2 is the most important greenhouse gas. While photosynthesis is regarded as the most important carbon fixation pathway, prokaryotes able to fix carbon in the absence of light (chemolithoautotrophs) can also be a significant source of energy in a light-limited ecosystem. Boreal lakes, notoriously colored and stratified with respect to oxygen and nutrients, present ideal conditions for this so-called dark carbon fixation by the chemolithoautotrophs. However, the prevalence of dark carbon fixation in boreal lakes remains unknown. Here, we measured dark carbon fixation in Swedish lakes from the boreal and boreo-nemoral zones, during summer stratification. We detected dark carbon fixation in 16 out of the 17 lakes studied, and concluded that dark fixation is a widespread phenomenon in boreal lakes. Moreover, the average dark primary production ranged from 18.5 % in the epilimnion to 81.4 % in the hypolimnion of all tested lakes. Our data further suggests that chemolithoautotrophic activity is mostly driven by iron-oxidizing bacteria. The chemolithoautotrophic guild is diverse and seems to be composed of both ubiquitous bacteria, like Gallionellaceae or Chromatiaceae , and endemic taxa, such as Ferrovaceae, which appears to be favored by a low pH. These results are particularly exciting as they suggest that dark carbon fixation could partly compensate for the low photosynthetic capacity in lakes with dark-colored water. • Pelagic dark carbon fixation (DF) is rarely considered in C budgets of boreal lakes. • Using 14 C labelling, we show that DF is a common process in the water column of stratified boreal lakes. • DF rates were higher in oxygen depleted layers of lakes. • Metagenomic and environmental data suggest that DF is linked to the iron cycle. • DF likely plays a key role in the ecology and carbon cycle of boreal stratified lakes.

Source: The Science of The Total Environment

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177433

Authors: Gaëtan Martin, Antti J. Rissanen, Sarahi L. Garcia, Sari Peura